A Sense of Belonging
by matrixjorel
Summary: Spike has always been happy with his life with Twilight Sparkle and all the ponies in Ponyville. But when small events cause him to reflect who he is , he doesn't like what he sees, and goes out to find the truth for himself. But the truth can be painful.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_Spike's Journal Entry 1_

_So Twilight gave me this journal for my birthday. She said something about writing more will increase my vocabulary…Better than another book, I guess. But after a Pinkie-party all day, I'm just going to go straight to bed. Hopefully Twi won't be too mad that I'm not writing much._

_Spike's Journal Entry 2_

_Today, Twilight, Applejack and I helped Fluttershy with a "situation" she was having with one of her rabbits. When I first saw the poor bunny, she looked like she was in pain, and really fat. When I asked what she ate, Fluttershy explained "Oh no, she's not fat, she has little baby bunnies inside her"_

"_What, she ate the bunnies?"_

"_Nah, silly, she's just pregnant is all. That's why we're here, she's justa 'bout to go into labor." AJ explained to me._

_After that, Twilight explained what "pregnant" means. She explained that's how babies are made, because rabbits can't lay eggs like dragons do. So Twilight used some new spell to keep the bunny comfortable while Apple Jack and Fluttershy talked to the bunny mommy until it was over. And they looked so cu—I mean... they were really fluffy baby bunnies. There must have been at t least 10 of them! It was an amazing thing to watch. It made me think how I was hatched in an egg; I thought that's how all the animals were born._

_After that, Pinkie Pie came over with some birthday cake for the baby bunnies. Carrot cake!_

_Spike's Journal Entry 3_

_Today Rarity needed more help with finding gemstones for her latest order. I was so excited to spend the day alone with the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria… but we weren't alone! Sweetie Belle also came to spend time with her sister. So we three went to the base of the mountains, and began digging up the gems. We had almost all the precious stones we needed before lunch, so Sweetie Belle surprised everyone when she pulled a picnic basket from behind a tree and yelled "Lunchtime everypony!" _

"_Oh Sweetie Belle darling, when did you have time to put together such an impressive lunch?" asked Rarity. "Nothing is burnt, either…" she added under her breath._

"_Oh, yesterday Scootaloo and I went to Apple Bloom's house to try our hooves at cooking food. CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MASTER CHEFS!" she added in her Cutie-Mark-Crusader-yell. "When we were finished, we each took some food, and I put it in this basket for you, sister!" She then gave her sister a huge hug. "Oh, and you too Spike!"_

_I thanked her, but I was fine with the gemstones Rarity gave to me for all my hard work. But as we ate, I saw how much the two ponies loved each other. I wish I had a brother or sister. As an egg, you don't really get to know your siblings, and even if I was hatched in a cave with other dragons, they would probably have flown off already in search of their own cave. But a brother would be so cool! Another guy to hang out with, because while I love spending time with Twilight and all her friends, they are ponies, and they do girly pony stuff all the time! Bleh!_

_Spike's Journal Entry 4_

_Rainbow Dash asked me a strange question today—if I consider Twilight my mom. It took me a while to answer her, because I don't really know. She's definitely a big part of my life; she was the first pony I saw when I was hatched. She cared for me, raised me, and kept me safe. But I don't think of her as my mom. She's like a distant sister. She does everything for me and loves me, but we are just too… different. She likes grass and flowers, I love gemstones. She loves to dress up; I enjoy sports and getting muddy. I love to sleep and she is always trying to wake me up from my naps. I told Dash that Twilight was like a sister to me, but now I'm wondering how much of a sister she really can be. Even with all my friends here, I'm starting to feel that I don't quite belong._

_Spike's Journal Entry 4_

_Today was okay, I guess…Apple Jack had some of her family over to discuss the upcoming Applebuck season. But I had no idea that a pony could have such a HUGE family! It was packed like it was when Twilight and I first came here for the Summer Sun Celebration. We got to meet all the cousins and aunts and uncles… do I have any cousins? I never even got to meet my parents, being a dragon egg and all. And I know Twilight is like a big sister to me, but what if I didn't have Twilight Sparkle in my life? Would I even have a family? friends? Even now, I'm not like normal dragons. By now I should have my own cave and a hoard, but I don't. I mean, I came pretty close last year on my birthday… thankfully Rarity stopped me. But where are my mom and dad? Are they out there? Do they even know about me? Do they care?_

Spike closed his journal before pulling the covers over his head. His mind was racing over the last few questions he silently asked himself while writing. As he drifted into an uncomfortable sleep, he couldn't stop asking "Who am I? Where do I belong? Where are my parents? Do they love me?"


	2. Chapter 2

_Spike's Journal Entry 9_

_I'm going to ask Twilight today. I wanted to for a while now, but I'm just scared. She still thinks I'm a baby, and I am, but I can take care of myself too. And I'll be back; I'm still her number one assistant. So if she's scared that she'll lose me, she doesn't have to worry. I just have too many questions that I cannot answer, and I know that somewhere out there, someone know who I am, and where my parents are. But before I can do anything, I need to ask Twilight to let me go, and I have a feeling that I know what she'll say to me._

"NO!"

"But Twi-"

"No 'but's', it's still a no!"

"But I need to, I have to know—"

"You have to know? Here's what I know; you're a baby dragon that wants to go off ALONE to Celestia knows where to find dragons that are probably not friendly! I know you mean well, but I can't let you go out there and get hurt or worse!"

Spike and Twilight had been at it for only a few minutes, but the way that they yelled at each other, Spike felt like days had passed. He didn't enjoy this argument, but he had to go, and he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with his sister-of-a-pony when she was like this.

"Fine!" roared Spike, admitting defeat. "I won't go. I'll just stay here."

He spent the rest of the day in his bed, but didn't go to sleep at all.

…

As Spike began his slow march upstairs, Twilight eyes began to roam the library, not looking for anything in particular. A thought crossed her mind; this was the first real fight the two had. This must have been really important to Spike, she added subconsciously, and she could tell that by the look in the little dragon's eyes.

But Twilight couldn't let her little brother just go out there, even if the cause was just. Out there he could be hurt, or killed, or any number of horrible things, and Twilight could never forgive herself if she indirectly caused harm to be brought upon Spike. And what if he did find what he was looking for? What if once he found his dragon family, he suddenly decided that he no longer needed her? She'd be all alone, and once of her closest friends would have broken her heart. Contemplating all the 'what-ifs' was too much for Twilight, so she forced herself to stop thinking about them.

Finally, she said out loud to herself, "I can't let him go. I just can't. It's as simple as that."

A voice chimed up in the conflicted mare's mind, screaming "Yes, you can, and you have to!"

"But he's too small. It's dangerous for him out there."

"Then go with him. You can help him and protect him, and he will still be able to find what he needs to find."

"But what if he doesn't want to come back?"

"Look: what if YOU never met your parents? Wouldn't you need to find answers? Wouldn't you want to find them? Would you let anypony stop you?"

Twilight didn't want to admit it, but the voice in her head was a lot more persuasive than Spike. "No, I wouldn't…"

Her inner voice continued "Spike WILL go out there to find answers. You can either oppose him at every possible chance and drive him away, or you can support his wishes and help him in every way you can."

Now Twilight was more confused than ever. All she knew for certain was if she went with him, she couldn't help Spike alone by herself; she needed help. But who could she turn to?

…

There was a knocking at the door. Fluttershy looked up from preparing the afternoon meals for the animals.

"Oh… somepony's at the door. I wonder who it could be."

Fluttershy approached the door cautiously. She didn't have too many visitors aside from the occasional pony asking for advice on animals or coming in with a sick pet in need of some care.

"Hello?" she asked in her soft voice.

"Hey Fluttershy, it's me. Can I come in?" Fluttershy would have recognized that pony's voice anywhere. "Oh, it's you Twilight! Please come on in." The yellow and pink pony quickly opened the door for her lavender friend. "And I'm sorry for the mess, I wasn't expecting any visitors."

"Don't worry, my library's always a mess, I'm sure it will be… fine?" Twilight looked around the small cottage filled with animals and saw no mess whatsoever. The bookshelf on the back was as pristine as ever, the floor looked like it had been swept only a few minutes ago, The carpet under the small sofa has free from any kind of stain, and the sofa itself looked untouched by hooves, with only two perfectly white pillows adorning either side of it. As far as twilight could tell, Fluttershy could have cleaned the entire house only a minute ago. It was always like Fluttershy to apologize, even if there was nothing there to apologize for. Twilight let out a quiet chuckle. That was the first time today that Twilight laughed today, even if it was so quiet even the animals around her couldn't hear it.

As the studious pony thought about how peculiar her friend could be at times, she noticed the sound of plates and cups clanking in the kitchen. No sooner had she noticed the noise than her friend came out holding a tray of tea and vegetables.

"I'm feeding the bunnies now… oh, and I made some tea for you" Fluttershy explained.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to go to all this trouble. I just need your help with something." Twilight hesitated before continuing with her request.

"Oh, anything for you Twilight. That's what friends are for… unless it's another dragon" she added as a last thought. Fluttershy was still shaken up from the last time she had to take care of a dragon, and even though she could overcome her fear if she had to, she would rather just avoid those scaly beasts.

"Actually, that's kind of why I'm here… specifically, it's Spike." Fluttershy could tell that something about bringing up Spike was painful for Twilight.

"Oh no… is he okay? Is he sick? Did he eat too many gems?" She hoped that Spike was okay, but she knew if the topic made Twilight this unhappy, the answer would not be a pleasant one.

The room was quiet for a time while Twilight gathered her words. The only noise heard in the room the quiet chewing of the eavesdropping rabbits behind the couch the ponies were sitting on.

Twilight wasn't sure how to answer, because part of her still didn't know what to make of the situation. Spike had been living with her for as long as he had been alive, and as far as she knew, he was happy. The two had a wonderful relationship, and told each other everything. There was trust, friendship, and love, and now? Spike was beginning to think that it wasn't real, that he belonged elsewhere. Even though she was willing to help Spike, she could not shake the thought that her little brother would abandon her. Twilight was scared above all else. What if he left and never came back? What if he was hurt, and it would be on Twilight's hooves because she allowed him to go out there… she had half a mind of just getting up, walking out, apologizing for having disrupted Fluttershy, and leaving it at that, but then Spike's face came to her mind… the look he gave her when he screamed out at her… just tore her heart in half. He stayed in the bedroom all day after their argument, and for the following morning. They haven't spoken after the previous afternoon, and no amount of reading or magic could help Twilight understand what to do. She had to be strong. She had to do this.

"Spike… he… wants to leave…" It took every ounce of strength for the mare to utter these words while holding back tears.

"Leave? Why would he want to do that? I thought he liked it here." Confusion crept up in the quiet pony's voice, as she didn't know what to make of the situation.

"Spike feels like he doesn't belong here, he says he needs to find his roots, but he wants to go out there, and it's dangerous and I told him that but he doesn't see what I see and I don't know what to do because he isn't talking to me and I want to help him but I can't… I just… can't." Twilight's tears were now steady streams of salty water pouring from her eyes. She made no attempt to hide the fact anymore.

The quiet returned. Even the rabbits were hushed by the obvious pain of the unicorn sitting on the couch. Fluttershy finally broke the silence with a small cough. She knew there was a time to be sensitive and a time to be direct, and this was one of those times to be strong for her friend.

"Twilight, you love Spike, right?" Her voice was a little stronger than usual, and a surprised look crept up on the Twilight's face.

"Yes! Of course I do!"

"And he really wants to go out there."

"I don't think I could stop him if I tried."

"Then… I think you should let him go."

"WHAT?" Twilight didn't like the answer she received, even though she half expected that answer.

"I can tell you are sad. And I understand why you are worried for your little Spike. But he isn't a baby anymore Twilight. He is growing, and he needs to discover who he is on his own." Fluttershy could tell this wasn't the exact answer Twilight was hoping for, so she added an "I'm sorry."

Twilight sniffled. "Do you really think that it's safe? I mean, for him to just go off like this?"

Now it was Fluttershy's turn to hesitate. "No. It is dangerous out there. No matter how prepared you are, there's always a risk when you leave the safety of Equestria alone."

"So what can we do?"

"We can make sure he is prepared as best as possible."

…..

_Spike's Journal Entry 11_

_ Twilight agreed to let me go on two conditions; I plan out my trip before I can go, and that she, Fluttershy, and Apple Jack come with me. Both Fluttershy and Apple Jack know the land of Equestria well and are willing to come with me as far as they can go. We all looked at a map, and determined that the quickest way to get to the Dragon Mountains is to take a train ride to Manehatten, then walk north through the Isthmus of Smoke, across the Gorge Canyon, and then after crossing the Equestrian border, reach dragon's territory. We plan on stopping at one of AJ's family's orchards to get more food after crossing the Isthmus of Smoke. Finally I can find some answers, and everything will be just fine again. Tomorrow, we will go see the Princess for some help with what Twilight calls 'dip-pole-magic'. Something about the dragons being mad at the ponies. Hopefully Princess Celestia can help._

…_._

"…and he wants to go find his parents, but it's dangerous in the dragon's territory, and all diplomatic advances between us and the dragons have stopped because of recent insurrection. Can you help us in any way, Princess?" Twilight looked up at the majestic alicorn as she sat contemplating her faithful student and her proposal.

"I'm sorry Twilight, there is nothing that I can do to make the dragons accept your small caravan into their land while we are in a political standstill like this. It's much too dangerous for anypony to cross the border." Celestia tried to hide the apprehension in her voice. One of the advantages of having lived for 1000 years is that you learn how to hide your emotions well. She was worried, at least more worried than she let on.

But she wasn't surprised. There was a risk to raising any dragon outside of their land. A dragon was an interesting creature that had a strong pull to having family, but a horrible cycle of abandoning eggs and newly hatched dragons had mysteriously thrived in their culture for millennia. A dragon that feels like they are alone, or that they have no family, begins to grow cold, which is why they gave in easily to greed and hatrid. The past generation would pass these feelings of hate to the next generation through abandoning their young.

This is why Celestia tried to collect the eggs when they were abandoned. She believed that if she could provide a home for the young dragons, they would learn love, tolerance, and live in harmony with the ponies. But the day always came when a dragon that lived with ponies began to feel out of place. In their own ways, they would find their place in the world, and most close to visit their native land. But Spike?

This brought Princess Celestia back to the problem currently at hand.

She knew that every dragon that was born in Equestria eventually developed the same longings that Spike has, but she never expected a dragon like Spike, both at his young age and with such loving friends, to want to risk his life to find his parents. This being said, a thousand years of seeing dragons needing to find out who they are outside of ponies taught her to be prepared for when it happened; this was not something new to the princess.

Twilight hung her head. "Thank you for your time Princess, i'll be sure to tell Spike your—"

"Now wait a moment, Twilight. I said it was too dangerous for anyPONY to cross the border into dragon territory. I never said anything about anyDRAGON. Even for a dragon like Spike, who knows no greed or hate, he is still a dragon, and they will accept him more readily than a pony."

Twilight's heart skipped a beat. "You mean you would send Spike out there ALONE? Without anypony with him?"

Celestia smiled. "Don't worry, my faithful pupil. You and your friends can accompany him as far as the border of Equestria extends. And I have a certain… friend… who can help Spike the rest of the way. He can be trusted completely, don't worry" added Celestia, seeing that Twilight did not like the idea of Spike being trusted with somepony she never met "I have complete faith in him, though his methods are a little unorthodox."

Twilight still didn't like the idea, but had little choice. From what the Princess told her before, it would not be a wise idea to not let Spike go, or else he may grow cold towards the friends he had here. Celestia explained that the last time a pony did not allow a baby dragon to find his roots for himself, he began to feel hate, which continued to build until he want on a rampage through the city he lived in, destroying most of the buildings and injuring many ponies. Ponies recorded this as an earthquake- The Great Earthquake of San Flankcisco.

"Let me send out a pegasus carrier to our little friend out there" the princess explained the final preparations for her most faithful pupil. "He lives in the Isthmus of Smoke, so you should meet up with him there. Just wait a few days before you leave. That way he has enough time to prepare himself. And Twilight?"

"Yes, Princess Celestia?"

"Don't be too worried. Everything will work out. And if you're lucky, you may be able to learn something about friendship from this trip!" the calm alicorn commented with a smile.

….

_Spike's Journal Entry 14_

_ Well, the day is nearly here. We have everything we need for the trip packed, and everyone knows the details of the trip. After triple checking out lists of things we needed to pack, Twi pulled me aside. I can tell that she's more scared than me. She keeps reminding me about how dangerous it is out there, and I'm already scared as it is, but she seems to be worried about something else. She just told me that I have friends here and if I didn't want to go, no one would be mad if I cancelled the entire thing. But I have to go. She knows this. My mom and dad are out there, and I can find them. Our first stop tomorrow is the city of Manehatten. We will stay there for 2 days, and by then our friend should be ready to meet us. With Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy with me, what could go wrong?_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Spike's Journal Entry 15_

_I thought that Manehatten would be the easiest part of this trip. I was wrong._

…

"OOO-WEE! This train's movin' faster than a cattle herder in a bull run!" Personally, Applejack's analogies never made sense to the baby dragon, but he didn't mind; it was finally happening. Spike, after a lifetime of having no family outside of Twilight Sparkle, was going out to search for his mother and father— maybe even brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles… the little dragon slipped to sleep as he dreamed of his huge welcome party he would find in the dragon' land.

As Spike slept, the 3 ponies, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Fluttershy, discussed the journey: their hopes, their fears, and most importantly, how they planned to spend their 2 days at Manehatten.

"I've never been outside of Canterlot when I was a little filly, and the only other place I lived was Ponyville, so I've never been to any big cities. But I've read a lot about Manehatten, and it sounds amazing! I want to go see Broncway and all the performances they do. I heard that this year, there's a group that is praised as the best actors and actresses to preform Roameo and Juliet!"

The other two ponies looked at their overly studious friend, not knowing much about the dramatic arts. Applejack began next. "Well, I don't know if you two evah heard, but I've lived'n Manehatten with my aunt'n'uncle Orange for a time!"

"You did?" Fluttershy's eyes grew wide. "That must have been amazing."

The light orange earth pony looked down for a short time. "Well… no… but I did learn a lot about bein' s'phisticated and all. And besides, there are a few interestin' apple stores there that have been givin' Apple Farms a run for their money." She muttered with some anger "They think they can grow apples in them fancy fact'ries with them fancy machines? I'll show them what real apples taste like!"

"Well, I have always wanted to see how animals lived in such a big noisy city. I want to see the parks, and the veterinary clinics there." Fluttershy's eyes sparkled as she thought of all the little animals she could help take care of. "And Rartiy also told me about this spa—"

"A SPA?" Twilight couldn't remember the last time she went to one, and though it probably wasn't the best idea to get a manicure done right before travelling to the dragon's land, she wouldn't have a chance to go to a spa in Manehatten for a long time; besides, any spa that Rarity recommended would be, in that white unicorn's voice, 'simply divine.'

"Oh, well yes! I was thinking about going today, then seeing the animals the second day."

Twilight beamed. "That works perfectly with my schedule, I'll come with you. What about you, AJ?"

"Oh, uh… you two go ahead with your pretty shenanigans, I need to get to work with this here Apple store."

"But girls, remember, we're here for a purpose." They all turned their attention to the ball of purple scales curled up on the seat next to Twilight.

…..

"Next stop; Manehatten. Next stop; Manehatten. Anypony stopping here gather your bags. We will arrive in 5 minutes." The voice coming from a speaker startled the sleeping dragon with a start. "AHH-are we there yet?"

"Almost, Spike! Just'a few more minutes and then we'll be out a' this here train!" Applejack was determined about something that the dragon didn't know about. He was still too tired though, maybe it was just his eyes playing tricks on him, he thought…

Don't fall asleep Spike!" He felt a muzzle nudging him, and was not surprised to find it was Twilight preventing him from napping for a few more minutes. This is always like her, he thought to himself. But he got up anyway. Today, this stop, they were too important to sleep through. Remembering their purpose for being here gave him the energy to wake up completely, and he jumped from his seat. He fell almost immediately.

"Woah there partner, the train hasn't even stopped yet!" Applejack started to chuckle, then everypony. Even Spike laughed at how eager he was to get started. After sitting down back on his chair, he looked out the window. He had never seen buildings this tall; they were nearly as tall as Celestia's castle, but they were covered in glass and signs with flashy lights. And the streets, he had never seen streets so busy! There were ponies of all kinds: Big ponies, baby ponies, ponies with coats and suits, ponies with dresses, ponies with no clothes, ponies with hair that reminded him of Rarity, ponies that he was sure reeked if he wasn't so far away from them and moving so fast… ponies everywhere!

The four looked out the windows and saw only their adventures to complete in the next two days. Manehatten was sure to be a lot of fun, and they couldn't wait!

…..

_When Twilight first read that paper, we should have known something was about to happen, but we were too distracted…_

…..

"Hey Twi, look at what I got!" Spike held out a copy of the city newspaper. "That little colt over there gave it to me. He also gave me a weird look as if I smelled, do I really stick?" All the ponies looked over at the young colt. He was light brown and very skinny, with a dark brown tail and mane to match his newsie hat. He also had a scowl on his face. Could he smell me from all the way over there, Spike wondered.

"Well, that's very nice of him. And between you and me Spike, you could always use a bath!" She smiled as she took the paper with her magic. Her face dropped. "What's wrong, Twilight?" came the voice of Fluttershy from behind the dragon. She was looking into a pet store window and missed Spike and Twilight's dialogue.

Twilight looked up from the paper. "Fluttershy, you may want to come see this." As soon as Fluttershy saw the paper, she uttered an "Oh, no…" Now Spike was really curious.

"What does it say?"

"I'll read it out loud for you Spike." Twilight began.

_**Professor at Local University Assaulted Yesterday**_

___Gang violence is on the rise; latest clash with dragon kind to blame_

_After giving a seminar at his home college, Professor Logos Rhetoric was found assaulted walking on his way to home. Police are hesitant to give details about the case, but they did confirm that the assumed culprit was a gang that calls themselves "Dragon Blood"._

_ Professor Rhetoric is an acclaimed author and political historian most noted on his work between the pony-dragon relationships we continue to see today. One such book, "The Seventh Element", earned him many prestigious awards, and propelled his fame. The book itself called ponies to be aware of their actions in dealing with dragons; "they too are sentient beings, and their killing 'instinct' is only a survival method we as ponies have triggered with our incessantly driving them from what we claim is pony land" said Prof. Rhetoric in his book. This book came to the attention of Princess Celestia, who immediately assigned the late professor on the Dragon Diplomatic Embassy team as lead Dragon correspondent._

_ His wife and 2 colts couldn't have been happier. "It was hard not having him at home many days at a time" Mrs. Rhetoric explained in a private interview, "but we knew he was out there changing the world, which made the days he did come home all the more precious. He would even tell the kids about all the adventures he had with the dragons, especially with the dragon's representative, Romian."_

_ Once the Embassy Team was evacuate when relationships between the two parties reached a boiling point, Professor Rhetoric began to tour Equestria, giving lectures at many cities and universities about the points he made in his last book. He urged ponies to treat dragons as friendly, that they were equals and needed to be treated as such._

_ In the investigation, the gang in question, "Dragon Blood", is not a new one to Manehatten citizens. This large and notorious gang, started over 40 years ago, has been opposed to any relations between ponies and dragons, rallying under the cry "Love and tolerance is no more". Their actions in the town have been small, but numerous, with this being the first recorded attempted killing they have attempted._

_ Detective Fedora, the police stations' lead gang detective, explains the psyche behind the attack: "They weren't aiming for a death. They try to work in the shadows, prevent anypony from noticing them unless they wanted to be noticed. This was a warning. This was an example they sent everypony to not follow Professor Rhetoric's advice. It's hard to tell what actions they will take next, but it won't be robbing a cupcake shop, that's for sure!"_

_ Prof. Rhetoric was rushed to the hospital with multiple lacerations and 2 broken ribs, but doctors are sure he will make a full recovery soon. As for "Dragon Blood", police advise everypony to keep their doors locked and not to go out at night._

Twilight Sparkle finished reading the article. There was a picture of Professor Rhetoric on it. He seemed like a kind and loving gentlecolt. His coat and mane were a light green color, which offset his purple eyes. There were wrinkles on his face that were magnified by the almost-too-small glasses that rested squarely on his nose. He was wearing a rather nice summer jacket that was a smidge too tight for the slightly overweight pony. The only question Twilight could think right now was why would anypony want to hurt such a caring and sensitive stallion.

"Oh my gosh. I've never heard of an assault case in all of Equestria, have you?"

Fluttershy shook her head briskly. "No, I haven't. I heard that when Princess Celestia came into power, murders and assaulting stopped almost immediately." This was what Twilight heard too. Now she was scared.

And as for Spike, he was panicking. For one, it sounded like ponies and dragons were once again hostile towards one another. Had he endangered his friends by bringing them here? And what about himself? If these ponies were willing to hurt other ponies, what would they be comfortable doing to a baby dragon? Spike cleared his mind of these thoughts; Twilight once told him that if he focused on all the 'what ifs', then he would never get anything done.

He shared a quick glance at his friends, and he could tell that they started thinking the same thing he did. They had to get somewhere safe.

…..

_I shouldn't have let her go. But she was always stubborn. My big, stubborn sister._

…..

Twilight was still panicked, but now she was in her organizing mood. "Okay, you two head straight for the apartment. Don't stop anywhere, don't talk to anyone. I'll go look for Applejack." She turned on her hooves.

"Wait, Twilight!" Spike yelled at the unicorn before she started to run. "Are you sure it's safe to go out there alone?" He didn't want to see her get hurt, or disappear, or worse… "We need to stick together."

"No! We need to keep you safe! Fluttershy, you take him back to the hotel room, and lock the door. Wait there for me and AJ."

Fluttershy was shaking, but her voice sounded surprisingly strong to Spike. "Yes mam!" She grabbed the baby dragon and put him on her back like he would with Twilight. As they ran off, he heard Twi yell out "Besides, once I find AJ, I won't be alone, right?"

…..

Fluttershy flew upstairs. Now both her and Spike regretted getting a room at the top of the hotel, it seemed like such a good idea back then. After a few minutes of flying, then running, then crawling, they survived the stair's ordeal and made it to their room. It was very small with only two beds. Both Spike and Applejack were okay with sleeping on the floor, insisting to Twilight that they did not need to get a bigger room. The thing that the 3 ponies and 1 dragon loved most about this room was the view. As they walked in, they were both gazing out the window; the sun was setting over the never-sleeping city, and as it slowly got darker in the shy, more and more lights turned on in the city. The two had never seen anything so wonderful, having never lived in a city like Manehatten. Even with all of this violence, both the pony and the dragon wouldn't have minded living there.

"I wonder where Twilight is now." Spike couldn't hide the sadness in his voice, and Fluttershy noticed.

In her most soothing voice, she replied, "Oh, she's out there looking for Applejack. I bet by now she already found her and is on her way back." She even mustered up a smile, but Spike wasn't buying it.

"She's like a sister to me. I don't know what I'd do if she was hurt."

"Is she really like a sister?" Fluttershy could tell this was another one of those times to be strong for those you care about.

"She's the only family I have."

"Then she will come back. I know a few things about sisters, and if she's your sister, nopony can stop her from coming back to you." Fluttershy's words helped Spike a little, but he still couldn't stop feeling scared.

She had to distract Spike somehow. "How about we play a game? Have you ever played the quiet game?"

After one very long and very boring game of saying nothing, Spike suggested that they play Hangpony. They had a lot of fun, and Fluttershy was glad to see Spike smiling again. They played for about an hour before Fluttershy accidentally put down the word 'sister'. Immediately, the dragon reverted to his previous gloomy state.

"I did this. I should have never let you guys come. You're in danger with me. I'm a mon—"

"Spike, you are not a monster. You are kind, and loving, and loyal and brave. You would never hurt a fly. You aren't like other dragons, and I mean that in a good way. I can see why Ra…" She stopped herself mid-word, but the little dragon caught what she said.

"Why WHAT?" Suddenly his demeanor changed. He went from depressed and gloomy to happy, even a little giddy. Had she said what he thought she said?

"Ra….Ra… rabbits! I can see why my rabbits love you! He he..." Spike didn't buy it, but it would have to wait for a later time, because e at that moment they heard steps outside of the door. Both Spike and Fluttershy ran to the door, threw it open and embraced their friend Twilight.

Only it wasn't Twilight.

"I appreciate the warm welcome 'n all, but why are y'all actin' so friendly all of a sudden?" Applejack asked.

"Applejack! You're safe!" Fluttershy yelled, or rather, she exclaimed slightly louder than her whisper.

"Of course I am. Now can y'all explain what the hay is goin' on here?"

"Yes, of course, come on—"

"Where's Twilight?" Spike was happy that his apple bucking friend was safe, but he was still worried about his sister.

"I thought she was with you guys. Right?" Applejack only just noticed the absence of her lavender friend.

"Here, come inside", Fluttershy said as she motioned towards the door, "we'll explain what happened."

The 3 reentered the room, sat in a triangle on the floor, and began discussing what happened after they split up. Applejack informed them of her reconnaissance work on her city competitors. "I went to every store: Appleoozah, The Shiny Apple, even The Apple store, and I tried a few of their treats. None of them compare to Sweet Apple Acre's!" she said confidently when her stomach growled a funny way. "Oh… I may be a bit under the weather tomorrow, so I'll be staying here if I need to."

"Wow, you sure had a lot more fun than us." Fluttershy started. She proceeded to explain how they wandered the streets for a few minutes before finding that article about the gang that didn't like dragons. During this time, Spike was just looking out the window, and he knew that somewhere out there was his sister. If only he knew she was safe, then he could relax and focus on his task of finding his mom and dad. But if Twilight was in danger, he needed to make sure she was safe. His parents could wait. "After we found that, we split up, I brought Spike here, and Twilight went out to look for you."

"But she didn't find me. That means she's still out there somewhere…"

There was a knock at the door. Everypony hoped it was Twilight.

Fluttershy walked to the door quietly. "Hello?" No answer. "Um… hello? Is anypony there"? Silence. She decided to open the door.

The hallway was absolutely empty. Fluttershy thought she saw something fly around a corner, but she couldn't be sure.

"Who is it, Fluttershy?" Called out Applejack from the floor where she sat.

"Um… it was nopony. Maybe it was just somepony knocking on the wrong door."

"Then what's that there paper on the ground, Sugarcube?"

…

Twilight was running frantically up and down the city streets. It was getting dark, and she still hadn't seen Applejack anywhere. She tried all the ranch pony stores, all the grocery stores; she even found an apple store called Apple of my Eye that she was confident she would find AJ in. But after 2 hours of looking, she had nothing to show for her work.

She looked around. After running around so frantically, she guessed she didn't notice the change in her surroundings. She left the nice part of the city and was now in the poor part. Buildings were dirty, vacant, or completely gone, and trash was all over the street. She wondered how anypony could live here, but they did. All she knew for certain was Applejack was not here. She turned around and ran into another pony.

"Oh, I'm sorry…"

This pony stood very still. There was a dark gleam in his yellow eyes, which popped out from his dark grey coat. He was completely grey, in fact. But this wasn't what intrigued her; both his face and his flank were covered in red cloth. Whoever this pony was, he did not want to be recognized.

Twilight gave the stranger a fake smile. "Umm, excuse me…" As she stepped to his left, he nodded. A cloth sack came over the unicorn's head. After that, she couldn't remember a thing.

"Good work, Fang!" the grey pony muttered, complimenting the mare who had thrown the cloth over Twilight's head.

Good work yourself", the mare named Fang answered with too much sarcasm. Like her friend, she too had red cloth covering her head and flank. Unlike her counterpart, though, she had a black coat with orange eyes. "Now, I'm going to take her body back to headquarters, Slayer wants you to deliver this," Fang handed the grey pony a letter, "to her little friends. The address is on the envelope. Make it snappy." And with that, Fang and the unconscious Twilight were gone.

The grey pony had no problem finding the hotel. He had entered the rich district though, so he needed to remove his disguise. Now he looked like an average pony. The only thing that people could have seen to suspect his involvement with Dragon Blood was his cutie mark; a sneaker that was dripping in blood. Thankfully most people saw it as red paint, so few questions were ever asked. He quickly ran up the stairs in a few minutes without breaking a sweat. Once he reached the top, however, he had to move carefully, to avoid getting noticed. He was to deliver the letter and not be seen. No problem. They didn't call him Runner for nothing, after all.

After dropping off the letter, knocking, and leaving the hotel unnoticed, he decided to go to Appleoozah to get a bottle of apple juice to celebrate.

…..

_We have your friend._

_We don't want to hurt any ponies; we try not to hurt our own if we can help it._

_6 o'clock. Meet us at the warehouse on 6__th__ Street and Hooverton. And bring the dragon._

_If you don't, we will make an example of your friend instead._

_Love and tolerance is no more._

…_.._

_They want me. Tomorrow, either I or Twilight will be in their hands. What have I done?_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4, where Rambo and Bruce Lee have twins

The warehouse was quiet. It was an abandoned lumber mill where they used to take trees from the nearby forest and cut it to build many of the buildings when Manehatten was just barely a lumbering town. Now that Manehatten was one of the biggest metropolises of Equestria and used metal for most of its construction, this lumber mill was desolate in the poor side of town. Some say it was haunted. Dragon Blood didn't start this rumor, but it kept other ponies from snooping, so they encouraged it.

At this moment, there was a group of 4 ponies in the warehouse. The other members were in the abandoned apartment building across the street with the leader of the gang, Slayer. Even in Dragon Blood ranks, he was a legend—they say in his personal study was the head of the first dragon he ever killed, back in the Second Dragon-Pony war 20 years ago.

The 4 ponies in the warehouse were special as well. There was Runner, the fastest one of the group; perhaps the whole gang. He did things like deliver letters and run errands for the gang, but if there was ever a pony to outrun the cops, it was Runner. Then there was Fang. She was the grimmer of these first two ponies, counterbalancing Runner's naïve kindness. Runner was still a kid, after all; at least 13, but he had lived his entire life in the gang, ever since Fang found him as a baby colt on the street. She took him in, but only because Slayer told her that this young colt had potential. Other than that, he was a nuisance to her.

Fang's job was pain. Whether it was eliminating threats or torture, she loved it. It brought her joy to cause these dragons, creatures that only took what wasn't theirs, took land and treasure and loved ones—to cause these beasts pain. To Fang, that's all they deserved.

The third pony of the group had huge, thick glasses. This was the only noticeable thing about her because she chose to wear a red and black full-body suit that covered her entire body. Her name was Shadow, and she was the "mole" of the group. She could sneak into any place, into any group, and get any information out of them that she wanted. She invented her own form of persuasion that she called "grifting"; she insisted it was the new form of gathering intelligence in the future, and continued to lecture her comrades about how it would revolutionize the world of thieves; like now.

"…you guys may not listen to me now, but in 5 years, when the entire underground world is teeming with grifter ponies, you're gonna wish you listened! And to think that all the information in the world can be gathered by putting on a nice costume, reading your target, and being a completely new pony!"

"Yeah…whatever." Overexcited Shadow was always getting on Fang's nerves.

"No, I agree!" Runner spoke up in defense of the younger and more passionate pony. "Besides, if you're really that passionate about this Shadow, then I think you can make it happen!" It was always like Runner to be the optimist, thought Fang. Gag.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, anything's possible, right Fang?" Runner turned to look at the black mare with orange eyes.

"Why don't you two ever shut up? At least Berserk never talks!"

She was right about one thing; the light blue pony in the corner never talked. Even then, it was hard to not notice him because he was built so huge. The other three cannot remember hearing him talk, but they heard his growl; even Fang was glad he didn't talk if his voice sounded like his growl. No one knew what he did during the day; he left the gang's building before anyone showed up, and was only seen at night when most of the ponies were asleep. But those who did see them said he came home bloody and bruised. There was as much rumors around Berserk as Slayer.

"Come on, he would talk if he felt more comfortable, I think." Fang really couldn't stand Runner at some times. "I think deep down, he's just one big teddy bear!"

Shadow finally chimed in. "All I know is, ponies like Berserk are not cut out to be grifters. Maybe you can learn a thing or two about it, Runner, you could be good at it!"

Runner smiled. He really didn't want anything to do with her crazy ideas about lying, but he found that a smile made everything better.

"Maybe next time."

They heard somepony walking in. They got quiet and stood at attention, just in case it was who they thought it was.

A dark red pony walked into the room. He was very slender, but the other ponies knew if they ever crossed a hoof in front of him they would regret it. Even Berserk feared him. He was Slayer. They knew that this was a serious job that their leader entrusted them with, since he was personally supervising the group's every action.

The second pony, the one they kidnapped last night, was close behind him. She still had a sack cloth over her head, and was being led by a rope. They knew what they were going to do; wait here for her friends and dragon to come, and make the trade. All they were here for was to watch the prisoner in the meantime.

Slayer began to speak. For such a feared pony, his voice was very soothing, and friendly. Yet it was slightly cold, like he had seen horrors in the world that most ponies only dream of.

"Here is Twilight Sparkle. She is to be treated as out guest, she is a pony after all! But you are not allowed to let her leave, that would just be rude. And Twilight…" he pulled off the sack cloth on her head. She looked like she had been awake all night, and had been crying for hours. His voice was just a whisper, but now it wasn't friendly at all. "…you remember what we talked about last night. No…magic."

He walked out without saying a word. The only noise was Twilight's soft cries in the warehouse. Runner was the first to break the silence.

"So, you are our guest, Twilight, is there anything we can do to make you feel comfortable?"

"…get away…"

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Get AWAY!"

Twilight had a horrible night; the dark red stallion wasn't as nice to her as he let on to the group. All she wanted was to get away, as far away as she could, run back to her friends and never come back to Manehatten ever again. She was scared, and angry, and lonely, and this pony trying to act nice to her was not helping out at all. 'Why was he even pretending to be friendly?' thought Twilight.

Runner backed away quietly. He almost looked like Twilight's response hurt him, why was he toying with her like this? He was just part of this gang, these people only wanted to cause pain and suffering, and so did he.

And they wanted to hurt Spike. Ever since they took her hostage, all she could think about is what Spike was doing, and if he was safe. In her pain, she whispered, "Spike, please be okay!"

…

6 o'clock was slowly approaching. Nopony was coming. Twilight was chained to a wall, and two ponies in all black with very large knives stood guard around her.

"He's not coming. He betrayed you." The pony on the left turned to Twilight, and even under his mask, his twisted grimace was seen.

"No, Spike would never do this to me! He loves me!"

The bell tower chimed. All the ponies smiled except Twilight, who began to cry.

"Spike… you didn't come for me. Why didn't you come?"

"You really love Spike, don't you? You think you have the heart of a dragon? Well, let's just cut into you and see if you have a dragon's heart or a pony's heart? Hahahahaha!" His voice was cold. Twilight just sobbed, repeating "Why Spike? Why?..."

The knife came closer to her skin, and…

…

Spike woke up in a cold sweat. That entire night for him had been very long, he couldn't sleep for longer than 20 minutes. For a baby dragon, this was unheard of, but they still didn't know what to do about Twilight. She disappeared last night, and they still didn't know where she was. All they knew was she was in the hands of that gang Dragon Blood, and they weren't planning to throw a Pinkie Pie party. He got out of his bed and walked to the small kitchen in the hotel room.

"Hello, there, Spike, y'all sleep alright?" Applejack was already there. She always woke up early on the farm. Spike knew that from the stories he heard from Applebloom.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep." Spike slid onto a stool and began to eat the complimentary breakfast the hotel provided; muffins and grass juice. He didn't even care what it tasted like; his mind was on other things.

Applejack saw that Spike wasn't doing well, so she replied, "Well, while you and Fluttershy were asleep this mornin', ah went to the p'lice station, n'they have an idea of where this here Dragon gang is. They'll send a few p'lice ponies to check. That's good news, right?"

"I guess it's the thought that counts. They won't find her though."

"It's a start though…besides, we have all day ta find her, and we've gotta lot'a friends ta help us!"

Even though Spike didn't see much to be happy about, he knew Applejack would never lie, and if she was remaining positive, than there might be hope. Spike forced a small smile to come to his lips.

"There, tha's better Sugarcube! And speakin' of Sugarcube…" Applejack said as she looked toward the entry door to find Fluttershy. "…thanks fer joinin' us! We saved ya some muffins!"

"Oh… thank you. I'm not that hungry though…" Fluttershy just sat down next to Spike. None of them spoke for at least 10 minutes, and the only sound to be heard was the young dragon finishing his muffin for breakfast.

"Well, where can we start?" Spike needed to know that they wouldn't just sit around and wait for his dream to come true.

"For now, why don't we try'n retrace her steps from last night?"

"Does anypony know where she went, though?"

"Hmm… well, I think she was looking for you, Applejack, so wouldn't she look at some apple stores?"

"That's a lotta stores, sweetie. I don' think we have e'nuff time ta look at all of them."

"We should try, I mean, that's what Twi—BURP—… sorry…"

"Hold your cattle, Spike, I think you're on ta somethin'!"

Understanding came to Fluttershy as well when she said, "Oh my goodness, why didn't I think of it sooner? I'm sorry."

Spike, however, was lost. "What is it? You think my burping can help?"

"No Spike… Celestia!"

"All we need ta do is send the Princess one a'them letters! She's sure ta help her student!"

Now Spike was embarrassed. He should have thought about that sooner, why didn't he? Spike immediately ran for the pen and paper on the nightstand by his bed; he always carried around writing material for Twilight, the most organized pony in all of Equestria.

_Dear Princess Celestia;_

_ This is Spike. I am writing because Twilight has been kidnapped. There is this gang in Manehatten called Dragon Blood, and they aren't very fond of dragons, and they kidnapped her, and we need your help, PLEASE!_

_ Spike_

'That should be good enough,' thought Spike as he ignited the letter into ashes that flew to Canterlot.

"I really hope she gets our letter soon…" Fluttershy said as the two ponies walked into the room.

"She should, I sent it as an urgent—BURP—"

"Well, that sure was quick!" responded Applejack.

_Dear Spike;_

_ This is bad news. Thank you for informing me. I have sent my two best royal guards to help you. If anyone can save Twilight, it is them._

_ Princess Celestia_

"Now who'd'ya reckon she's sending, Spike? Do ya know any of the royal guards?"

"If she's sending who I think she's sending, we have no reason to worry," Spike said as he sat on his bed, relaxing for the first time today.

…

In the royal courts of Canterlot, two warriors prepared themselves for another unexpected day; they were ordered by Celestia to rescue her student without hurting too many ponies.

The light tan unicorn packed his bags full of non-lethal weapons. This pony wasn't the most intimidating of ponykind, and his cutie mark was very vague on who he was. It was a green bandana. The same one he wore since he was a kid, the same one he wore during the Pony- Hound War, and the same one he wore now. The last weapon he magically packed was his personal favorite—the Gumgun, a personal design of his. It was a catapult attached to a pony's back which could fire a putty-like substance that immobilized anypony unfortunate enough to get in his way. He turned to his friend and said in a deep, booming voice, "Yo, you ready to head out?"

The white pony he was talking to was just putting on his last piece of black clothing over his small wings. For a Pegasus, he couldn't fly very high, but his smaller wingspan allowed him a greater amount of speed and agility. Under his all-black jumpsuit was his cutie mark, which he got years before moving to Equestria from his homeland, Chinamane; a steel ninja star.

"By the power of my ancestors, we shall quell this threat and save the Princess' Prized Pupil!" the white pony replied.

"Yeah yeah, enough of that ancestor crap, let's just go kick some flank!"

With that, they both went to the royal courts, where Celestia teleported them to Manehatten.

…

Twilight could see the sunlight from the gaps in the rafters. It had to have been noon at least. For the most part, the 4 other ponies left Twilight to herself, which was nice. It gave Twilight time to think of a way out of her predicament. So far, nothing was coming to mind. If only she could use magic, she could just teleport out of there…but what Slayer threatened to do to Spike if she did… she couldn't risk it, no matter how unlikely it was that he could get his hands on him.

On the other side of the huge warehouse, she could see the pony that seemed unusually nice, along with the really quiet stallion that reminded her a lot of Big Mac with his build, only with a cols start in his blue eyes, eyes that matched his coat. The other two ponies left a while ago, and it looked to Twilight that they had something important and urgent to discuss.

In another room of the warehouse, Fang and Shadow were discussing the prisoner…

"Come on Fang, all we need to do is watch her, and we aren't like that." Shadow was worried by the blood-thirsty look in her friend's eyes; she only saw it at certain times, and those times never ended well for anypony.

"Don't worry about it. Besides," Fang whispered with a smile, "I haven't had fun in a while, and she seems like she'd squirm!"

"Fang, please, just think about what you're about to do, you—"

"You dare question my judgment? I am the leading rank here, and I tell YOU what to do!" She towered over the jumpsuit-covered pony, yelling as she did so.

"I'm sorry!"

"Yes, yes you are. Now, as the higher ranking pony here, I have a job for you and Runner…

"Yes…?"

"Go to the headquarters and check on our backup"

"Well, do you think—"

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I mean, yes ma'am!" responded Shadow with a squeak.

Back in the main lobby of the warehouse, Twilight saw the two mares reenter the room. The one in glasses and a jumpsuit walked up to the nice one, whisper something in his ear, and they both made haste to leave. The other mare turned to the large stallion.

"Leave us alone. I'm going to have fun with this one."

He left without saying a word. Now that Twilight was alone with this mare, something in the room felt darker. She didn't like it.

"Twilight Sparkle… our guest." said the black mare as she circled around her prisoner. "I never introduced myself. How rude! My name is Fang.

"Now, everyone in this small group has a job, as I'm sure you noticed. Can you guess what mine is?"

Twilight remained quiet. She didn't want to play along with this twisted pony, but she was also afraid of what the answer would be.

"Hmm, not a guesser? That's a shame. But I'll tell you anyway!"

Dang leaned in, whispered into Twilight's ear, "I'm the torturer of the group. I make sure that the dragons feel the pain they caused us ponies before we _dispose_ of them… but business has been slow, and I need a new patient. And as far as I'm concerned, anyone who is close to a dragon is practically a dragon themselves."

Twilight was shaking now. She didn't like where this was going. Not at all.

"So… let's have some fun!"

She grabbed a hand drill, and put it against the lavender unicorn's left hoof, and started drilling in until she hit a nerve. Twilight never felt such pain. Neither did she ever scream that loud in her life.

…

There was a knock at the door. Spike ran to answer it.

"Who is it?"

"C'mon you crazy dragon, that any way to treat your babysitter?"

Spike opened the door to the light tan pony and his white friend. They dropped their bags in the entryway, and the stallion and dragon gave each other a hug.

"Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you in forever, Banana Bandana!"

"And look at you Super Spike! You sure are getting bigger!"

Applejack and Fluttershy ran to the door as soon as they heard the ruckus.

"Oh, AJ, Fluttershy! I'd like to introduce you to the two greatest righting ponies in all of Equestria, and some of my best friends back in Canterlot: Bandana John Jay and Steel Star!"

"Mmm shucks Spike, I don't know about in ALL of Equestria…"

"May the ancient spirits smile upon our meeting." Everypony in the room gave Steel Star a strange look; except for Fluttershy, who quickly retreated to her room furiously blushing.

Spike continued the introduction; "And guys, this is Applejack, and the one who just left was Fluttershy. They're our friends from Ponyville. And these two guys are some of my friends from Canterlot. They use to watch me while Twilight was doing her extreme studying and didn't need me!"

"We taught him a thing or two about how to be a stallion; he sure has a lot of fight in him, this kid!" said Bandana, grabbing Spike in a playful chokehold as he spoke. "So, Applejack, is it?"

"Yes'm. I run Sweet Apple Acres back'n Ponyville!"

"What's a cute pony like you doing back in Ponyville? You got a coltfriend?"

"NO!" replied Applejack with a small blush. Bandana sure is forward, she thought. And even though he was a handsome stallion, she wasn't interested in relationships. She had a job, after all!

"Hmm, that's good to know, sweetie!"

Steel Star chimed in. "I must go investigate. I will be back." He ran towards the open window and jumped out.

"Hmm, always like that weirdo, he can't just hold his horses! Hahaha!" The ponies laughed at Bandana's joke.

After the laugh, the ponies minus Steel met in the bedroom to discuss what happened in detail; Twilight's disappearance, the note, and what they knew about the gang.

"Well, sounds like you got yourselves in neck deep. But we can help you, don't worry! Steel there can track any pony he set his mind to; he'll find her location in an hour… which gives us plenty of time…" Bandana slowly shuffled next to Applejack.

"Uhh… ta gather up our supplies! I'm on it!" Applejack quickly left the room.

"Oh…umm… I'll help her!" Fluttershy quickly followed her friend.

"dang, never met a mare this hard to get. What's with her, Spike?"

"Oh, she's just not into relationships much."

"Oh, I see… and what's up with you, Spike? You seem distracted." And Spike was. His mind was racing, and he couldn't help thinking what would have happened if these two ponies didn't show up.

"I'm just glad you're here!"

"Now Spike, I know you better than that. You're sad. What's wrong? We're here!"

"I just can't help but think what would have happened if you weren't here. I could never help her without you guys, I feel horrible that I can't protect her."

"I see…" the light tan stallion gathered his words before proceeding. "Now, let me ask you something: what would you have done differently?"

"I would have gone with her, and tried to fight off those goons!"

"And do you think you would've won?"

"Well… no." Spike said sounding defeated.

"Now, we can't change the past. Twilight is caught, and nothing could've stopped that." A tear appeared in Spike's eye at this comment. "Now don't cry about it. Crying ain't going to fix nothing. There comes a time in every colt's life, when he has to choose— are you going to feel sorry, or are you gonna do something about it?"

Spike was quiet. He couldn't stop crying, feeling sorry for himself. He didn't think he could do anything. It was just like the time when the gem hounds took Rarity—

Now he felt it; he now knew what Bandana was talking about. Back then, when his love was taken from him, he didn't think about how he wasn't there to help her. All he knew was he would do everything he can to save her, even if he couldn't do much.

"I would do anything to save Twilight."

"Now THAT'S the Super Spike I know!"

Suddenly, they heard a crash and a scream from the main room of the hotel room. The two in the bedroom run out to see what happened.

Steel came back, and it looked like he came back the way he came, because he had crashed into the unsuspecting yellow-and-pink pony. They seemed to roll around from the crash, and he was now lying on top of her.

"I am so sorry, Flutter-san! Please forgive me!"

"You're…you're…you're…" Fluttershy could do nothing to hide her blush, and with everypony around her, she couldn't help but blush more.

"C'mon now, give my gal some room, warrior!" Applejack huffed as she pulled Steel Star off of Fluttershy. As soon as she could move, the shy, blushing mare bolted to her room once again.

"Why is she turn red?"

"Come now, she's just enamored… consider yourself lucky, you punk!" answered Bandana, shooting Applejack a loving look.

"I found Twilight Sparkle. She is in warehouse on 6th Street and Hooverton"

'Well I'll be! That's the same place as in this here letter!" said Applejack as she looked back at the note left for them last night.

"Now why would they do that?"

"Hide in plain sight. It's first rule of being ninja. It's genius!"

"So, now that we have a where, who's gonna come with us to kick some flank? What about you, sweetie?"

"Aww, ya know it! You're lookin' at the apple buckin' champ fer 8 years runnin'!"

"Count me in, too!" shouted Spike.

"Umm, I'll stay here!" called Fluttershy from the room.

"Okay soldiers, let's move out!"

…

_Spike's Journal Entry 16_

_ We are finally leaving this place behind us… unfortunately, Twilight is no longer with us. But today was the first time I ever felt an emotion twilight used to explain as hate. Hate for another pony. It felt awful, and horrible… and SO GOOD…_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5, where they take the fight to Dragon Blood

_Spike's Journal Entry 16 (con't)_

_I can't believe Twilight is gone. AJ keeps reminding me that she's in a better place, that she isn't in pain anymore… but she was the pony closest to me. She was the one that was supposed to come with me to find who I was, and now… I know she couldn't come, that things can't work out like that. Even Fluttershy reminds me that Twi is with me in spirit. But it's not enough._

_ Same with the punishment those gang ponies got. After doing all those things to Twilight, all they are going to get is some jail time? No! I wish I could have hurt them when I had the chance. Bandana told me to be a dragon of action, and I should have taken action there. Those Dragon Bloods… I hate them all…_

…

The small group of very noticeable ponies and one dragon were hiding in an alleyway besides an apartment building. Across the intersection was the enormous lumber warehouse that Steel said the gang was holding Twilight in. They took great care once they crossed the threshold into the slums of Manehatten, keeping Spike surrounded at all times to prevent ponies walking by from seeing the young purple dragon.

They had been there in the alley for what seemed like hours to Spike, though in reality it had been more like 3 minutes. Bandana, Steel, and Applejack were discussing the plan of how to save Twilight without having to fight too many goons at a time. Applejack was once again refusing Bandana's offer of a weapon.

"Now c'mon miss, you really think you can handle them all by yourself? I know you're tough, but they'll have weapons!"

"And what do you think these are? I've been bucking fer years, mah legs gotta be the strongest'n all a'Equestria!"

"And the sexiest, too!" Bandana said in a whisper to Steel Star, who was fixated with the top window of the apartment next to them.

Spike was only half listening to the conversation. All he was thinking about was going in there and saving Twilight. That's all that mattered to him. They planned enough. So when Steel suggested that they inspect the apartment next to them, Spike grabbed a pipe on the ground and started walking toward the warehouse.

…

"I have bad feeling about apartment. Bad Spirits. We must inspect!"

"You sure about this, Steel?"

The white pony nodded toward his comrade. "It is strong feeling. It has bad aura. No doubt."

"Alright, then…" huffed Bandana as he lifted the Gum Gun and saddlepack with two small clubs onto his back. "We should go in here and check it out."

"Now what makes ya think his hunch is right?" asked Applejack.

"His last hunch saved me from taking an arrow to my knee back in the war. Call me crazy, but his hunches are the one thing I believe in."

"Ah, I see, it's kinda like a Pinkie Pie sense?"

"Sure?"

"Who is this Pinkie Pie? She sounds like one in tune with spirits."

"Well, she's in tune, all right, but not with no spirits!" Applejack chuckled at the thought of her musically inclined friend. "Well, if it's that serious, I b'lieve y'all's judgment. Lead the way!"

"Okay, now I'll go in first and soften up any visitors with my Gumgun. Steel, you go ahead and do what you do best. Sweetie, you and Spike need to cover my back once I'm done with the Gumgun so I can take it off and help fight. You got it?"

"YEEE-HAWWW!"

"What about you, Spike?"

Silence.

"Spike? SPIKE?"

"He disappeared. He must be at warehouse." Steel answered.

"What's that blockhead thinkin'? We need ta go'n save him!" Applejack made to gallop off when Bandana grabbed her by the tail.

"S'cuse me, I need ta go save mah friend!"

"He's already gone. If we abandon the plan now, nothing would ever get accomplished. We made this plan for a reason; we need to stick to it. It's the best way to help him. I'm sorry, sweetie."

Applejack was at a loss. She knew she could have saved Spike, but even she needed to stick with these warriors if she was going to survive herself. She felt a hoof on her back. She almost went to kick who she thought was Bandana, but was greeted to Steel giving her a hug.

"I have lost many friends in my life. But if we abandon plan, none will survive. Spike can handle himself. We help him by sticking to plan. Apple-san, we must go. Now!"

"Besides sweetie, the sooner we take care of anypony in here, the sooner we can go to the warehouse."

"Alright…"Applejack shook off her momentary doubt, "Let's go'n kick some evil pony flank!"

As they ran to the front door of the apartment, Bandana gave Steel a hard nudge. "Now don't be going to steal my girl, you hear?"

…

The group inside the apartment was about their usual business. Some played card games at a table in the corner; others were gathered around a makeshift bar drinking cider and juice. All were bored. They were the fodder of the gang, and they did very little outside of the occasional robbery. Their days were spent in the apartment/headquarters of the gang, and they tended to wait to have a chance to climb the gang's hierarchy. So when the sound of hooves coming up the stairs, nopony reacted.

Bandana busted the door from its hinges. With his Gumgun on his back, he appeared to be a huge pony machine. He fired round after round, levitating each new shot into the catapult. He caught at least two thirds of the thugs in the confusion, and now they were immobilized for the police to come and slap cuffs on them.

A white blur flew above the tan pony and bolted up the stairs. Steel flew past the confused thugs not hit by the gum without being noticed. He dashed into a group coming down the stairs and made quick work of them. All were effectively knocked out within 5 seconds, and he continued to take down any stragglers upstairs. Technically, he was not fighting them; he merely used his vast knowledge of pressure points to preform quick strikes that immobilized all but the strongest ponies. Still, Bandana and the rest of Celestia's royal guard respected and feared his "fighting technique" so he did not correct their assumption.

Back in the main lobby, Applejack's hooves made clean contact with another stallion's chest, and he feel to his back in a heap. Bandana had finally taken off his catapult and magically picked up a club. "Now let's go help our eager friend!"

"Hold on, I still gotta few ponies here ta take care of. Y'all go on without me!"

"Sorry sweetie, i'm not leaving you that easily."

For a pony that appeared to AJ as just another muscly stallion with no brains, he was unusually protective of her. She was flattered by his kindness, even if it was a bit overbearing at times. They proceeded to knock out the stragglers hiding from the fearsome duo.

After the final pony was "comfortably" laid on the ground, Steel came bursting down the stairs. He had just eliminated any possible threats upstairs. They looked around at their handiwork, trying to find a clue as to what was going on in here. There were tables and loads of money and bottles littering the ground, but no clue as to why these gang ponies were hiding out in here. Nothing.

"Bandana-san, there are no clues to who they were, and why they were here."

"Well, this musta been one a'their bases of op'ration. Maybe all'a these ponies were just waitin' fer somethin'."

Bandana smiled at the light orange mare. "Just what I was thinking. But it does us no good to sit here thinking about details like that. Spike needs us, and so does Twi. Let's go to the warehouse!"

"What about a plan?" Asked Applejack.

"Oh, right… I'll go in swinging, and you two try to keep up. If the thugs in there are like these ones, we can take them!"

…

Spike slowly made his way into the warehouse. He almost regretted leaving the group behind the moment he entered the eerie building, but he had to be strong for Twilight. He made his way down side halls and connected rooms, trying to avoid any unnecessary fighting if he could. He approached another corner when he almost collided with the hind quarters of another pony. He held back a scream and ran back into the door next to him. He hid under an old table and listened to the pony talking.

"Yeah, I'm a bit worried about that Twilight, leaving her alone with Fang like that."

"Well, she told us to leave. What else can we do? Stop worrying, Runner!"

"But she's going to do something, I know it. I've lived with her long enough to read her emotions, and she has that look again…"

"Then a pony gets hurt. Big deal. Right, Berserk?"

Spike heard a huff, from what sounded like a manticore. But that was nothing compared to what he overheard. Twilight WAS here, and it sounded like she was hurt. But what could he do? If these ponies caught him, then he'd be no help to his friend… but he was stuck here. So he waited a while longer for the ponies to pass by.

"Yeah yeah, Berserk, why don't you just answer us?" Asked the mare-sounding pony.

The other boy pony answered, "If he doesn't like talking, it's okay. Don't force ponies to do what they don't want to do."

"Oh, no don't turn this back on me!" The group sounded like they were walking away. Spike poked his head around the corner. The coast was clear. He took careful steps, since he could still hear the faint conversation.

"Just because you think you're better than everyone else does not give you the excuse to have no blood on your hands!" The mare sounded angry at the colt.

"But why does it have to be done? Isn't there another way?"

Spike would have listened to what they were talking about, but a pair of teeth lifting him off the ground, startled him. He wiggled and yelled and tried to escape, but he knew it was over. The monster-pony had found him. The other ponies heard the noise, and were coming fast. He was caught.

In the other room, Fang put down the drill. She had finished working on Twilight's beautiful hooves. Now they looked like Swiss cheese. She went back to her operating table with all of her items and tools. 'So many options!' she thought to herself. She couldn't remember the last time she had fun, it really had been too long since she caused this much pain. And such a perfect specimen, too! She looked at her captive, and contemplated what to do next.

Twilight had nearly passed out from her pain. She stopped yelling long ago, but she still involuntarily twitched every time Fang hit a nerve in her hooves. But her drill was just one of many options Fang had to choose from—she had many options, methods she has never employed, ones that would dwarf the pain Twilight felt so far.

She could make an incision and get to the gore, but she wanted to do as much damage as she could without killing. Slayer wouldn't forgive her for killing their captive instead of the dragon, and she wanted to prolong her patient's suffering. Death was not an option. So she grabbed her saw. She never had a unicorn to play with before, and she heard that losing a horn was excruciatingly painful.

Before she could continue the "operation", however, the other three ponies walked in.

"What did I tell you about interrupting me?" screamed Fang.

Runner started to answer, but after looking at Twilight's maimed body and the blood around her, he felt like he was about to be sick. Instead Shadow answered her; "But this is important! Look what Berserk found in one of the old offices in the halls!"

She moved to the side to present a large blue stallion with a small purple bunch of scales in his mouth. It was the dragon. The one that they were all waiting for. Fang smiled for the first time in many years at the sight of her newest victim.

"Perfect… the dragon of the hour. Come to see your friend? She's taking a nap right now." She nudges to Twilight's limp body. Blood was still oozing from the holes in her hooves, and Spike began to panic.

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing compared to what i'm going to do to you…"

"Fang, do we really need to do all this to him? Let's just give him to Slayer, I don't like all this bloodshed," the young pony asked in between coughs and gagging.

"Don't worry your little head about it; we'll just have some fun with him first!"

Berserk brought Spike to the eager pony, who started to tie his arms and legs together hog-style. She would begin on him after she finished her first little project. "Now, you just sit here and enjoy the show as I finish up on your little friend here."

"No!" cried Spike. "I won't let you get away with this, I swear I'll—"

"You'll do what? You are in our hooves, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

As soon as Fang finished this last sentence, there was a loud bang. Wood was being broken at the front of the warehouse. Somepony was here.

"Okay, we have some company now. Find them and kill them!"

…

The door was big, but the combined bucking strength of Bandana and Applejack was enough to turn the door to dust. "Okay, we need to hurry. Where did you see Twilight, Steel?"

"Midddle room. In center. Very big, Bandana-san!"

"Were there any other ponies there?"

"I count 4 others. We can take them!"

Bandana nodded, and the three ran for the middle room. By the time they got there, the other four ponies seemed to have gathered at the front entrance to meet them. In the back, they saw Spike tied up and laying on the ground. Twilight was chained to a wall, and there was a lot of blood on and around her.

Applejack exploded at the sight of her friends. "WHAT DO YA THINK Y'ALL ARE DOIN' TA MAH FRIENDS?"

"Aww, such a cute wittle voice from such a cute wittle pony." Fang replied mockingly. "Did somewon hurt your little fwiends?"

"By the order of Princess Celestia and Luna of Canterlot, you will give yourselves up and release your prisoners!" Bandana was more serious than AJ had ever seen him.

"And what if we don't? You can't do anything!" answered Shadow. "Get them, Berserk!"

The blue pony huffed and swung full speed at Steel. He barely had time to dodge, he never expected a pony so big to move so fast. But Steel turned with his block and kicked Berserk under his chin. 'The nerve here will disrupt his legs. He will fall shortly,' thought the ninja pony.

Berserk stood still for a moment as everypony watched. A smile curled his lips, and he laughed and swung again at Steel, making contact and sending him flying across the room.

"Steel!" cried out Applejack.

She heard his voice from the distance. "His muscles are too big, cannot contact nerves." His eyes grew wide when he looked to AJ. "Look out!"

Applejack had just enough time to dodge Fang, who came running after her with a knife.

With that, all hell broke loose in the warehouse.


	6. Chapter 5 and a half

Chapter 5.1, because the author sucks at writing fighting sequences

Applejack faced her opponent. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that each pony paired off. It seemed that the one in all red-and black with glasses—Shadow, she heard them call her—was fighting Bandana, and Berserk was squaring off against Steel. There was a fourth one, but he seemed to disappear off the face of the earth as soon as the fight broke out. What if he was gathering reinforcements?

Fang didn't give her opponent time to think as she lunged once again for the orange pony's chest with her knife. Applejack dodged again. She didn't like to be put on the defensive, but Fang's knife was a little intimidating, even for Applejack. Fang kept coming, and pushed her opponent up to a wall. "I got you now, you hillbilly…"

"What did you just call me?" Applejack didn't want to go down without fighting, and those were fighting words for her if she ever heard any. She turned around and readied her legs as the black mare came running in for the killing blow. SMACK. Applejack timed her kick just right, and nailed her opponent in the jaw. Her entire mouth went limp and she dropped the blade, making a clanking sound as it hit the floor. 'Ah think ah might'a broken her jaw… I'll apologize later,' thought Applejack. But now she could be on the offensive. She knew that Celestia asked that this mission involve no death, so the country pony tried to kick at her "friend's" legs. If she could take just one leg out, Fang would be immobilized and the cops, when they eventually got here, would have an easy time arresting her. But she was a squirmy one, and now that she was on the defensive, Fang proved to be very elusive. It was as if she was able to slow down time when Applejack's hooves came closer to her legs, and casually dodge her as easy as a filly playing dodge ball with her schoolmates.

Off in the distance, Bandana and Shadow were at a standstill facing each other off. "Now missie, I don't want to fight you." Bandana said. It was a chivalrous rule of his not to hit women that posed no threat to him, especially with clubs and other weapons. He even dropped his saddlebag and threw it across the room to show the mare that he would not fight her.

"That's right… you don't want to fight me!" Shadow bolted in between Bandana's legs, and kicked the insides of all four of his knees at the same time. His legs buckled as she slid easily under him and stood up behind her opponent that was now lying on the ground. He quickly got back up, not wanting to be bested by a pony so small.

"Aww, you look like you're in pain. I'll make this quick." Shadow ran toward Bandana once again. He was ready this time and lowered his head in preparation for the sliding attack Shadow tried. Only this time, she jumped over the unicorn and used all four legs to kick him squarely in the back. Once again, she ended up behind the stallion as he laid in a clump on the ground. He was slower to get back up this time, and huffed in pain as his got his legs underneath him.

"Please, I won't fight…a mare… that I can hurt…"

"As if! You couldn't hurt me in the state that you're in! Pathetic…" Shadow walked up to her opponent in disappointment. She placed a hook on his face in a loving manner. "You aren't very good, you know." The loving hoof smacked Bandana square in the muzzle. Bandana tasted blood in his mouth. 'She drew blood. She insulted me.' thought Bandana. "You're going to regret that."

"As if you—" was all Shadow could get out before Bandana's front hooves made contact with her chest. She went about 3 feet into the air and landed onto the ground with a loud thud. She was crying.

"I think you broke a rib!" Shadow started to tear up.

"I'm sorry missie, you drove me to do it. Now I know first aid, I can help you." Bandana started to walk toward the helpless mare when she spun on her stomach and spin kicked bandana in the muzzle again. 'Dang it, I let my guard down,' thought Bandana as blood began to pour freely from the now multiple cuts on his face.

"Wow, gullible, too! What do they teach you at Canterlot?"

"How do you know that?" Bandana didn't remember mentioning that he was from Canterlot when they were here.

"I can read people. You've been in a war, too. And you think that not fighting girls means you're tough. But now, all I see in front of me is a pansy pony that can't fight. I bet Celestia would feel safer if she was guarded by bunnies!"

"I won't fight a girl…" Bandana was really losing a lot of blood, and he didn't think he could take another beating like that. "…but anyone who insults the Royal guard needs to answer for it!" His rage gave him just enough strength to stand up and lunge toward the annoying mare, but she gracefully dodged it. "Try again!" as she raised a hoof over his head. Just like when he was in the war.

She brought the hoof down to hit him square in the head. It would have been a finishing blow, but he caught it with his two front hoofs and used this leverage to swing her over him and smashing onto the ground. He picked her up once again and did the same on the other side. It looked to Shadow like he wasn't going to stop until she was dead or unconscious: whichever came first. She had to do something. Each smack took a lot of strength out of her, she felt bruises all over her body being formed, even bones were feeling as if they would break.

She swung her body just wide enough to land on her feet when the war pony brought her down a third time. But he quickly sprang to his feet and the two ended up in the place they started—in another stare-down.

"Can't take much more of this, can you?" Shadow huffed. That takedown of Bandana's was really getting to her now.

"Nope… but it sounds like you can't either."

"Then let's finish this."

The two charged at each other once again.

Steel wasn't faring as well as his friends. He had tried every nerve and pressure point he knew on a pony—the jawline, the upper leg, above the cutie mark—but he couldn't get through all the muscle on Berserk. Even normal fighting styles he learned seemed to have no effect. He was just too huge.

His speed was the only thing saving him. He was barely able to dodge Berserk's kicks, and he felt the force behind them through the air. One hit could kill him if he wasn't careful.

'Maybe I can use that as my advantage,' thought Steel mid-dodge. He started to lure Berserk to a metal workbench that was left in the warehouse. If he could get Berserk to punch it, it would do some serious damage to him. The process was slow, but Berserk inched his way closer and closer. Finally, they were there. Steel positioned himself in front of the metal object and waited for the gigantic blue pony to punch. He dodged once again and heard the sound of hoof meeting metal. But when he turned around to see what his plan accomplished, Berserk hadn't even flinched. He actually dented the metal with his punch. Berserk smiled as he swung and made contact with Steel, who was thrown across the room. For a fighter, Steel knew he was out of his element here. This pony was all power and brute strength, and Steel couldn't keep up.

Steel smacked into something hard. He turned around and saw that it was his friend Bandana, only with the mare on his neck in a chokehold.

"You doing okay, buddy?" wheezed Bandana with the limited air he could take in.

"This pony…raw power. I cannot battle him."

"Sure you can, every pony has a weak spot. Just gotta find it."

This was one of the first lessons Bandana taught him while in the royal guard. Bandana had fought tougher creatures than this stallion, and came out on top. Steel couldn't lose hope from one failed attempt. "Thank you, Bandana-san."

"Oh, and Steel?"

"Yes?"

"A little help?" Bandana was starting to turn blue from all the talking and the lack of air.

"Yes, Bandana-san."

Neck. Back knee. Wrist. Chest. In less than a second, Steel hit the four points of the yin meridian and released Shadows ki. But as far any anypony else knew, she was on the ground unconscious.

"Dang, how do you make this look so easy? I'm gonna go help out Applejack, you can handle this bozo on your own."

"Of course… I can…" Steel was a little hesitant, but his friends had faith in him, so he got up and readied himself for Berserk.

…

Spike was still on the ground when the fighting started. He was trying to get out of the ropes binding him, but they tied the knots well. They obviously didn't want him escaping. But he had to go help his friends in this fight. Bandana was being choked out, Steel hadn't made any noticeable impact on Berserk and even without a knife, Fang was still hard to take out. But most importantly, Twilight was probably dead.

No more blood was coming from her, and she would not respond to any noise that anypony made, including Spike. She just laid there in her shackles, her body completely limp. He felt his blood boil in him. These ponies killed her; he needed to do something for Twilight. This was all his fault after all. He tried to tell Twilight not to go out there, if only he wasn't a dragon…

It all came back to this. If only he was a pony, not a dragon. Why did these ponies hate dragons so much that they would go to all this trouble just to get rid of one baby dragon? Did other ponies feel this way about them? What if this feeling was common among ponies and Spike had just been lucky enough to meet all the nice ponyfolk?

'I can't just sit here and think what if's, I need to go out there and help!' thought Spike as he continued to try and wiggle out of the rope. Suddenly, a scale from his wrists came off. "Wait a minute," said Spike, "My scales!" He grabbed the scale and began using it as a knife to cut through the rope.

…..

Applejack finally had Fang on the ropes. While the evil pony was slowing down in exhaustion, AJ, through a combination of adrenaline and bucking apples on the acres for years, felt like she had energy to go for hours. It was only a matter of time before…

She made contact. Though Fang was on the ground, she was flexible and could evade Applejack's hooves. But now that fatigue was setting in, the orange pony made contact with Fang's chest hard. Fang stopped moving, and now Applejack had a chance to relax. She heard galloping from behind her. It was that thick-skulled Bandana coming to "rescue" her. 'That pony doesn't think I can handle myself?' she thought. 'I ought'a give him one in the jaw for thinkin' me all defenseless!"

"Applejack, look out!"

He fell and slid on the floor to kick Fang once again. When she turned around, she saw why Bandana was running towards her; Fang wasn't knocked out, and when AJ let her guard down she grabbed the knife she dropped and went for a cheap shot. Bandana saw this, slid his hoof into Fang's open chest, and definitively knocked her out.

"Gosh, I thought I took care'a her. Y'all just saved mah flank!"

"Well, you sure did do a number on her without me. Are you sure you don't want to go get some cider after all of this?"

"Apple-san? Bandana-san? I do not want to interrupt romantic moment, but… help?" the voice of Steel called out to his friends.

While Bandana and Applejack were victorious in their fight, Steel was not so lucky. He still couldn't see what Berserk's weak spot was, and Berserk would not give him enough time to try and find it. Again, Steel was on the defensive, and now he felt like he was at a loss. He needed help quick. He looked over to see how far his friends were. They were running as fast as they could, but Bandana was limping.

'Did he throw out his shoulder joint again? I warned him about trying to kick too hard, especially with that injury…' suddenly, the thought clicked in Steel's mind. Now that he thought of it, he scolded himself for not thinking about it before. This Berserk was throwing so much force behind his punches and kicks and it was putting a lot of stress in his shoulder joint.

So this time when Berserk swung, Steel slid under the massive pony's arm, right under his shoulder, and with all four legs, whacked his joint with all his force. Steel rolled out from under Berserk, and just in time. The leg was completely unusable, and when he put weight on it, the blue pony yelped and fell to the ground. With one limb made completely ineffective, Berserk accepted defeat and stayed on the ground. Bandana and Applejack came up just in time to see Steel victorious.

"Good job Steel, I knew you could take this bozo on your own!"

"Yes, thank you friend. Now, we save Spike-san!"

"But where'd he go?"

The three bloodied ponies looked around for their dragon companion, but he was nowhere to be found. Then Steel asked, "Who took care of fourth gang pony?"

…..

Spike was almost done cutting the rope when he heard the pony that found him give out a roar in pain. It seems like all the enemy ponies were taken care of. But when Spike looked up, he saw him; the one named Runner. He looked like he was hiding in the hallway. The thought that he thought he could get away from what he did to Twilight was enough to infuriate Spike. As he took the final cuts from the rope, his vision started to blur and everything he saw was turning red. All he could think about was getting revenge for Twilight. The rope snapped and fell away from Spike's claws, and he set the ropes on his legs aflame with his breath. He grabbed a length of rope and ran straight for Runner.

Runner seemed to be so distracted by the fight he didn't notice the dragon until it was too late. Spike jumped onto the colt's back and threw the rope around his neck. He started choking him. At first, all he wanted was to get justice for Twilight's death, but now that he heard the sound of Runner choking and gasping for breath, a new feeling came out; blood thirst. Spike's primal instincts finally began to set in. He didn't even remember now what he was doing this for, why he felt such misery before. All he knew now was that this pony would die, and afterwards, Spike would feast. Runner turned blue. Spike began to salivate.

"SPIKE! CALM DOWN SOLDIER!" Bandana called out as he yanked Spike and his rope off the young pony that was now an unhealthy shade of blue.

"He must die!" was all Spike could growl. Who was this pony that was preventing Spike from killing his prey?

"Spike, we don't want to kill these people. You aren't a murderer."

Spike was just trying to get away. He needed blood now. "They killed Twilight. I'll kill them all!"

"Twilight isn't dead you idiot! Calm down! You aren't a killer!" Bandana could still see Spike wasn't listening to what he was saying. "Twilight wouldn't want you to be a killer. What would she do without her helper?"

Then Spike remembered Twilight. Bandana was right. No matter what happened, even if she was in his place, Twilight would never kill anypony no matter what they did. He stopped struggling against Bandana, and Bandana released Spike. When Spike looked up at his friend, he saw an emotion that Bandana never had before: fear. Spike looked at his claws. They were longer than he had ever seen them. He felt his teeth—or what used to be teeth. They were now fangs that looked like they could tear a pony to bits. Did Spike's emotional response do this? The last time something like this happened, it was because he gave into greed. Was this what happened when he gave into hate?

…..

_Spike's Journal Entry 16 (con't)_

_ After I calmed down, the police ponies finally came and arrested the ponies we had taken care of; all four of the ponies in the warehouse, and in the building that the others had broken into before. As it turns out, that was the gang's main headquarters. Now that most of the gang was behind bars, the detective ponies predicted that Dragon Blood would disappear within a few weeks. But is it enough for what they did? Why can't they kill them for what they did?_

_ Bandana was right as well. Twilight was still alive, but just barely. They rushed her to the hospital. The doctors said that she would recover, but it would be a week before she would even have a chance to stand on her own four hoofs. So Twilight won't join us for the rest of this journey. Without her, this journey will be even harder. She was the best friend I ever had._

_ Steel and Bandana will leave tomorrow for Canterlot as well; but Applejack said something about owing Bandana a glass of cider. They are out tonight, while I sleep here with Fluttershy and Steel, who aren't the most talkative ponies._

_ Even if Dragon Blood didn't get what they deserve, what's done is done. And we are finally done here. Now we can go back to what I started this journey for; finding my parents. _


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6. They meet HIM.

_Spike's Journal Entry # 17_

_ This morning, we received the letter; the letter that shows we can finally leave this town and all the horrible memories it contains. Celestia had arranged for us to meet an ex-dragon ambassador, and we have finally received word that he was ready to meet us. Twilight is still in the hospital so now the group is reduced to me, Fluttershy, and Applejack. We have gathered all the supplies we will need until we meet with Applejack's cousins on the other side of the Isthmus of Smoke, which should be about four days. _

_ Today, we said our goodbye's to Bandana and Steel. Bandana gave me one of his small clubs for me to protect myself for the trip. "Just in case!" he said. It looks so cool! It's a straight wooden stick with what seems like another small stick coming out of the side. It looks almost like a letter T, only a lot more intimidating than the letter._

_We also stopped at the hospital and said our farewells to Twi. The doctors tell us that she's going to be asleep for a few more days, but that in a week she could check out of the hospital. I still wish she could come, though._

_ AJ, Fluttershy and Ihave packed up everything for the trip, including a week's worth of food, which is more than enough to last us until we meet up with AJ's family. Now we walk… to the Isthmus of Smoke!_

…..

_Spike's Journal Entry #20_

_ We've been walking for days. I thought that Manehatten was horrible (and it was), but this is unbearably boring! Trains don't travel up here unless it's to deliver supplies to the northernmost towns of Equestria. We woud fly, but Applejack is not a pegasus, so…we walk. Across the desert. We have supplies to last, but it's so long and painful. Even with my scales, my feet are KILLING me. _

_ Last night, we didn't even sit up our tents. We just collapsed on some comfortable looking patch of dirt and drifted off to sleep. Fluttershy looked terrible. Her hair was wet with sweat, and the curls that were usually in her hair were long gone. Even Applejack had taken the tie out of her hair and retied her hair into a tight bun to keep it out of her face. We are all covered in dust. All we need is some sleep. Some sleep and a bath._

…..

"Are y'all sure ya don't wanna set up these tents?"

Fluttershy was already smoring, and it took Spike all his mental strength to string together a sentence, "Ground… is so comfortable."

Applejack threw off her saddlebags and fell right next to Spike. "You're right, we don' need tents."

Spike started snoring along with Fluttershy. Applejack felt herself slip into much needed sleep.

"We'll… be there…t'morrah…"

And with that, the two ponies and baby dragon fell asleep. For the next twelve hours nothing could wake them, no sound or movement—not even the figure watching them from the fog, waiting…

…..

"Oh, I don't like this… not one bit!"

"C'mon, Sugarcube! It's just the fog!"

"Yes, but I can't see in front of me…what if—gasp—what if I step off a cliff and I don't even see it?"

"Fluttershy, you have wings. You can fly."

"Oh… right."

Talking was the only way the three could keep a track of where they were, and if they were staying together. The fog seemed to keep getting thicker and thicker. Applejack and Spike were both scared by Fluttershy's comment; if there was a huge canyon in front of them, thy would never see it.

From AJ's judgment, they were still heading north, so the hoped that the fog would clear by the time they neared the Isthmus of Smoke. They would need to see it for their survival.

Few ponies ever travelled along the Isthmus of Smoke. Even on a clear day, it was a dangerous and deadly path for even the most skilled adventurer pony. It was a naturally formed rock bridge that spawned a huge chasm. Over the ears, the rock bride slowly eroded away until now it was barely big enough for a pony to walk across. The sides were rounded too, so one step too close to the edge would result in a pony falling hundreds of feet to their doom. They could go around, but that would takes another two weeks of walking; besides, somewhere here was Celestia's ally, the one that would help Spike cross the dragon border. The chasm was about 2 miles ling, so it would take all day for the three to cross the marrow rock bridge, single file, through the thick fog.

"So, here we are…" said Spike as they looked at the cliff that was on either side of the narrow walk way.

"Um… wow, this is scarier than I remember…" squeaked Fluttershy. She had stopped freaking out and had now resorted to rolling herself into a ball on the ground.

"I hear it gets narrower each year… but we can't jus' sit around'n talk about it. We need ta start walkin'!" said Applejack, trying to rally her friends. "Now, who's gonna go first?"

Spike took a step back, and both Spike and Applejack knew that Fluttershy would never be able to lead the group across the Isthmus. Besides, ever since they left Twilight in the hospital back in Manehatten, Applejack knew that she would have to take on the role of leader.

"Okay, then. Everyone stay close behind me." Applejack took one step out onto the narrow walkway. "Hehe, nothin' ta worry about!" Applejack said with a fake smile. "Okay now, let's get movin'!"

"NO!" Fluttershy was still in fetal position on the ground.

"Spike, can ya get Fluttershy? We need ta move if we want to cross before night."

Spike walked over to his shy friend and tried to calm her down. "Come on Fluttershy, we're all scared… but we need to cross, and we're waiting on you." She didn't answer. "Fluttershy, come on!"

Suddenly, a noise came fromabove them. It was a shrill cry that pierced the sky. They never heard anything like it, and when they looked up, they were still as clueless as they had ever been. It semed to be a bird flying in the sky, but it also looked like a lizard. From what they could see, it had 4 lizard legs and the tail and wings of a hawk. But once Fluttershy saw it, she knew what was more scary than the Isthmus of Smoke: that thing. She screamed and ran toward the pathway, startling Spike with her speed and scaring Applejack by throwing her off balance.

"Woah, what got into you, Sugarcube?"

"Scary… monster… gotta get away!"

"Well, we need ta move carefully, or else we won't need ta worry about some monster."

"Oh right, I'm sorry Applejack."

The three finally started walking through the Isthmus of Smoke as carefully as they could. Applejack didn't want to scare anyone, but she was sure that she was the only one to notice that thing had been following them since they woke up.

Meanwhile, the creature in the sky was circling around the small caravan. Her master told her to keep an eye on these adventurers, and she would… but she wanted to have some fun first…

…..

The caravan crossing the Isthmus was almost across the chasm, but night was quickly approaching, and none of them wanted to be here when night came. "C'mon everypony, let's pick up the pace."

"We need to go faster if we have any hope of finishing before it's night…"

The group had been walking for hours, and besides hearing the occasional roar or squawk from the wild animals living in the Isthmus, they seemed to be in no danger. They hadn't seen the creature in a few hours, and hoped that it just grew tired of following them and left them alone. From Applejack's estimations, they were only about an hour away from the other side of the chasm, and now the narrow rock bridge was beginning to expand. Now it could fit two ponies walking side by side, although they preferred to walk single file as they had been doing all day.

After walking for so long without anything happening or any creature coming out, even Fluttershy's nerves were beginning to calm. She now proceeded to try and help Spike calm down. "Spike, are you sure you're felling alright? You have been really quiet these past few days."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me."

"Well, if you even need to talk to me, just let me know. Everypony that I'm a really great listener!" She reminded him with a smile and a squee.

"Yeah, I'll tell you if something happens." In reality, a lot was on Spike's mind. He was thinking about his best friend laying in the hospital. Even though she told him that it was okay, that he had a mission to finish, he wished she could have come. He was thinking about how far Dragon Blood reached out, and if they had any members out here in Appleooza or even Phillydelphia. He wondered why a group would want so badly to kill dragons… and if there were dragons who felt the same way towards ponykind. He was still very nervous about trying to find his parents in Dragon country. What if he couldn't find them? Or worse, what is he did find them and they didn't love him? They did abandon him as an egg before, and he wasn't really a dragon in the sense that most people thought of as being a dragon. He didn't even have a hoard, for crying out loud

But right now, he was most worried about this mysterious pony that Celestia had waiting for them on the other side of the Isthmus. She promised that he would help Spike cross the dragon border, but what if he too held ill feelings toward dragons. There had to be a reason that he quit his job as an ambassador, what if he hated dragons now? Just like everypony else.

"Spike, you better stop!"

The chasm came to an end and he had been walking on solid ground for about 50 yards. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice this, nor did he notice that Applejack and Fluttershy were looking at him with a worried look on their face. They looked like they did back in the warehouse, when Spike was choking Runner and he started transforming. They looked they were afraid of him.

"What is it? What happened? NOTHING'S WRONG WITH ME!"

Fluttershy curled into fetal position again. "No, not you… that!" Her hoof reached out from the light yellow ball on the ground and pointed to something behind him. He turned around.

It was back. It looked almost exactly the same as before; a large bird with the legs of a lizard, with sharp claws on each foot. It was about twice the size of any of the ponies, and stood well over 6 feet tall. But what they didn't notice was the face. It seemed at first to have the face of a griffon, but its eyes were pure black and unblinking. Its tongue could also be seen coming out of its beak from time to time; it was forked.

The thing opened its mouth and let out an ear-piercing roar. The sheer force of the roar sent the other two still standing tumbling to the ground. It started circling around the group. Spike pulled out the club that Bandana gave him, and Applejack took her bucking position, ready to kick the creature in the face if it started to come at them.

Suddenly, another roar came out of the fog; this one put the roar of the creature to shame. Now all four of them—Fluttershy, Applejack, Spike, and the creature—were shaking in fear. What could possibly make that kind of noise? A dragon.

Specifically, the dragon that came out of the fog. He stood at about 10 feet easily on his hind legs, with wings that were currently folded in. He didn't appear to be any normal dragon; he was very skinny, with dark green scales covering his body. He also seemed to have something on his head; was it hair?

"AY, Puki mon! What did I tell you about scarin' da pony folk, mon?"

…..

The dragon was standing there, looking ferociously at the creature. "Aiy, Puki! I told'ja not ta do dat, mon! Now go home'n tink about what you done!"

The creature slumped and flew off into the fog. The dragon then turned his attention to the Applejack, Spike, and Fluttershy. All of them were scared stiff, and could do nothing to move when the dragon took a full charge at them. He grabbed all three in one big sweep of his arms, lifted them off the ground, and… gave them a hug?

"Oh pony folk, iz been a long time since I have da visitahs, mon! Nopony evah come out here, iz great ta see a friendly face mon!"

"Thanks, but can ya tell us who you are exactly?" Applejack was so confused about this dragon. Was he going to eat them of was he going to invite them over for dinner?

The dragon stopped hugging them and set all three on the ground. Fluttershy was so paralysed with fear she fell to her side again like a fainting goat.

"Oh, I'm sort about dat, pony folk. My name is Bastion. Pleasure to meet da pony folk, mon!" He then proceeded to shake hooves with all three of them, even the still-petrified Fluttershy on the ground. "Oh, and I'm sorry about mah frien' Puki. She's a pranksta if I evah seen one, if ya know whad I mean!"

Spike found this dragon strange, yet surprisingly interesting. "So are you saying that thing is yours?"

"Of course, little dragon mon! She's mah pet! And her name is Puki, just so ya know. She jus don' know when ta stop, so her shenanigans sometimes get a little out'a hand!"

"Of course… now can ya tell us why that there…Puki… was tryin' ta eat us?" Applejack was still a flurry of emotions (fear, anger, relief), so rage was most prominent in her face and voice.

"Haha, she'd nevah eat da pony folk! She's a vegetarian mon!"

"If ya say so…" AJ replied.

"So, what are you doing here?" Spike asked. For some reason, now that he started talking to the dragon, he almost felt more comfortable around him, or rather, more comfortable than Applejack of Fluttershy, who was still lying on the ground. Applejack went to calm her down, and Spike continued to talk to Bastion.

"Funny story about dat, mon. But firs' we need ta go inside before it gets too dark oud here, okay pony folk? Come back ta my place, I just made dinnah!"

Spike's stomach growled at the sound of dinner, and he just felt like this Bastion character was someone they could trust. "Hey, AJ! I think we should go over with Bastion over to his house, okay?"

"I don't know Spike…"

"You don' trust Bastion mon? Oh, dis won't help our situation. How can I help you pony folk get to da border if you don' trust me?"

"What'd you say?"

"Celestia asked Bastion to help da pony folk. You still need help, right mon?"

"Ya mean YOU'RE the help that Celestia promised us?"

"Well, do ya see any odah dragon folk wit dreads out here? Didn' Celestia tell ya aboud me?

"Umm… actually," said Fluttershy. She seemed to come out of her fear-induced come when she heard he was the help that Celestia promised them, "Celestia never told us who was going to help us…"

"She didn't? Ay, dat crazy little pony, she always doin' foolish tings! She's a funny one, ya know! But enuff talk, we need ta get inside, mon! Follow me, pony folk!"

And the three adventurers followed the unusual dragon back to the makeshift home Bastion made in a cave.

…..

There wasn't much in the cave. Bastion seemed to have taken some wood from a nearby forest and construct a crude door for the cave's mouth. A single lantern sat on the table in the middle of the cave, and food was set on the other table to the side. The animal named Puki (the friendly dragon explained that Puki was a Korio: a half lizard half bird that was very friendly and loved to prank) was laying in the back of the cave asleep. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Spike gathered around the table as Bastion placed the food on plates and passed them out.

"Salad…" Spike muttered.

"I been told dat my salads are da best in all'a 'Questria! Go 'head and try it, mon!"

They all started eating the salad. Spike was hesitant at first, and the first bite he took was all lettuce. He felt like he was about to throw up.

"Wow, whoever told ya that this salad's the best, they sure are right!" Applejack started to devour the salad on her plate as if she was starving.

"I must get your recipe, this is amazing. The animals would love a salad like this!" Fluttershy whispered calmly. She had now grown accustom to the new additions into the group, and had even been able to approach the Korio without too much difficulty. Spike decided to try another bite. This time he tasted it. It was so sweet, and crunchy, and the dressing was just sour enough to tickle his tongue with each bite. He never had a salad that tasted good, and he could remember few gems that tasted this exotic, either.

"Tank you, ponies! I try not ta eat the meats, so I learn how to make the vegetables taste just as good. I got dis recipe back when I live in Jamaneca!"

"JAMANECA?" Applejack and Fluttershy said in unison.

"Of course! Where else do ya tink I got dis accent from? And where I learn how ta grow out mi hair?"

"Oh my goodness, I would love to go to Jamaneca. I hear it's always sunny, and the beaches are beautiful."

"I hear you can just lay out on the sand'n relax all day."

"I hear the water in the ocean is always warm there."

"Wow, Jamaneca…" and the two ponies sighed in adoration at the thought of this paradise.

"Yeah, iz okay… it got boring really quick, mon."

"So, going back to the hair…" Spike interjected, "did you learn how to grow out a mustache?"

"Sorry, little mon, I didn'. I wasn' interested much in staches back den. Wish I did, tho." Spike looked down in defeat. He thought he was on to something. "Oh, and befo we get too far, I need ta know everypony'z name. I assume little dragon mon is Spike, amarite?"

"Yeah, I'm Spike!"

"Den which one of you pony folk is da Fluttershy?"

"Umm… that would be me.."

"Den dat makes you Applejack?"

"Yer darn tootin'! Now, I gotta question fer you; how exactly do you know Princess Celestia?"

Bastion looked at Applejack in shock. "How do I— how do I KNOW her? Why, I'm her pers'nal assistant, mon!"

All three of them dropped their jaws. This dragon was the Princess's assistant?

"I mean, I used ta be, a long time ago… wait—you tellin me dat you didn't know nutin' about tis?"

The other three shook their heads, their mouths still agape.

"Ay, what is dat Celestia doin'? Okay, time for uncle Bastion ta tell da pony folk a story! A long time ago, about a tousand yeers ago, Celestia was jus a little filly…"


	8. Chapter 7

"Gather round, pony folk, and I tell ju da story of da Princess C'lestia when she was only a little filly, mon!" the Rastafarian dragon started as he beckoned the other three in the room to gather around the table.

"A long time ago, back when der was no A'questria, ah was an egg. Da cutest egg ja evah se, mon! Ah had da fun times when I was an egg. My muddah kept me warm, and my fadah collect da jewels. I don't know if ah had da brothas or sistahs, cause I couldn't not see from da egg, mon. But ah remember how mi muddah took good care a mi.

"Den one day, ah tink it was a Munday, the cave ponies came inta da mountains mi family lived in, and mi family had ta flee. It was da scary times, mon. Der was no law in da land back den, and everypony fot for der survival. Ah know dat de pony folk didn't mean no harm, dey were jus desperate. But mi family flew off, an dey forgot me. I was lef dere with da cave-pony-folk, and dey could of eaten me right der."

"Oh, my, this IS scary!" Fluttershy said as her head, the only part of her not hidden by the table they were sitting around, slowly sunk below their line of sight.

"Wait a second!" Applejack interjected. "Ah thought you said tha' this was gonna be about the Princess, not you!"

Bastion nodded in agreement. "Ah know it get confuzin' at times, but trust meh when ah say dat dis is all important in da story, mon!"

Spike spoke up before Bastion could continue the story. "So, the ponies took you away from your mom and dad? Weren't you mad?"

"Hold ja horses, little dragon mon! Imma get to dat soon, can ya wait a moment?"

"Fine…"

"Okay, now where was Bastion at? Oh yeah, I was da cute egg bein' taken by da cave-pony-folk. Now, normal cave ponies would eat da dragon egg, but deese pony folks were different… Dey were da las a'da Alicorns!"

"Alicorns? Like Celstia?"

"Dat's right, mon! In fact, da princess was der wit dem. All one big pony folk family!"

Everypony around the table gasped. "Are you sayin' that you met the Princess's family? That musta been like a thousand years ago…"

"Actually, it was aboud one tousand, eight hundred un fifdy yeers ago… even though, if you ask her, she would tell ju dat she is no oldah den fifteen hundred yeers."

"Wait… Mr. Bastion? You said that they were the last alicorns… is that true?" Fluttershy whispered from her vantage point under the table.

"Yah, dat right Fluttershy!"

"Well… umm… what happened to the other ones?"

Applejack and Spike nodded in agreement. The only alicorns they ever knew were Celestia and Luna; now that they were told they came from a family, was there perhaps more than one family?

Bastion let out a long sigh. "…Okay ponyfolk, ah bettah start from da way beginning… imma bout da tell you a story, one dat you will neevah find in any library, or any record in Equestria. I wud be da surprised one if even da Princess Luna remembahs dis story, it was so long ago…

"Ovah eight tousand yeers ago, all da pony folk lived togedah in a very nasty place. It was hot and sandy; der was none of da vegetation growin around dem. It was known as Desolate. But since da ponies all worked togedah, dey built da cities and da civilizations. Der was da peace in all da land, mon… but den, the alicorn Tinia changed da status quo and threatened da pony civilization.

"King Tinia was a great alicorn, learned in all da magics and all da flying, and he was respected by all da ponies. But since da alicorn folks had all deese abilities, Tinia felt dat gave him da power ta rule over all da pony folk. Now, most a'da alicorns have de abilities, but dey are very humble creatures, dey are! Dey only use der powahs ta help da odah pony folk. De odah ponies saw dis Tinia, and saw a wise un majestic rulah, and since de kingdom a Desolate was growing reelly big, da ponyfolk felt dat a ruler was necessary. But da pony folk were in for a surprise, dey were…"

…..

Tinia sat on his throne, overlooking the city of Desolate. He watched the ponies as they walked the streets, traded in the market, tended to their farms, and moved clouds into position for the rainy season. He watched how everyone was living their lives; peaceful, content, ignorant.

"Good afternoon sire," came a voice from behind the throne. Tinia slid from his confortable seat and approached the tiny alicorn who addressed him. Albeit, Mercury wasn't all that tiny; it was just that Tinia was very large. Comparing the two was like comparing the land of Desolate to someone's small farm. Tinia towered over any other pony easily by a foot, with large rippling muscles on his torso and legs. His light tan mane and coat were decorated with golden necklaces and ornaments to exemplify his kingship. Mercury, on the other hand, was a comparable twig to Tinia. He was a light green hue with a darker green mane. The only thing that set him apart from the other alicorn in the land was his cutie mark; A parchment and quill with the symbol of a green circle. On closer inspection, though, the green circle was in fact the cutie mark of Tinia; two snakes eating each other simultaneously.

"Hello, Mercury." Tinia's booming bass voice echoed in the grand halls of the palace, even though Tinia only spoke in a volume barely higher than a whisper. "Come here."

Mercury slowly approached the King. Recently, Tinia had been very quiet, spending his days staring at the city from his throne. This was the first time that he spoke in almost a week. Mercury hoped that the king was not sick.

"Tell me, dear friend… what do you see?"

Mercury didn't know what to say as Tinia motioned out to the city. "I see Desolate?"

"Very good. And what do you see in this lovely city?"

"Umm… well, I see the ponies."

"Yes. I see them too. Ponies walking up and down the streets, conversing, flying, teleporting, and cantering. Everypony seems happy, am I right to say that Mercury?"

"Yes, your highness!"

Tinia walked back toward his throne. He called back to Mercury, "And what about the alicorns? Where are they?"

"Well, sire, they are with the other citizens…"

"And WHAT are they doing?" Tinia started to sound like he was angry with something. Mercury was scared.

"Well, they are helping the other ponies… umm, they are using their powers to do things other ponies can't."

"Very good… so am I right to say that alicorn are more gifted than all the others down there?"

"Well…"

"This is a yes or no question, Mercury. ANSWER!"

"Yes!"

"Is it true that alicorns are better than any other pony?"

"Sire, I feel that —"

"MERCURY!"

"—that alicorns are best!" squeaked the small green alicorn. Tinia came up behind him and laughed.

"So true. But it bothers me to see my brothers and sisters, the powerful alicorns, in servitude to these… inferior beings. It pains me so."

"But sire, the alicorns choose to help the others, it isn't forced!"

"It hurts me to see all that the alicorn can become… yet it is squandered by the petty whims of such inferior creatures as these… _ponies…_" Suddenly, Mercury saw a flash of darkness cross Tinia's eyes. He was very scared now.

"Wh-w-what do you mean?"

"This is why I called you here; I want you to send out a decree; everypony in Desolate will report to the plaza tomorrow."

"Y-y—yes sire. May I ask why?"

Tinia took his place on his throne once again. "It's time I did something I should have done a long time ago."

….

"All the ponies are gathered, sire!"

"Good…" Tinia finished placing the decorative crown on his head before turning around and making his way to the stage in the pailion.

"Tinia, may I just ask you to consider if this is… a wise decision?"

"Mercury, do you doubt my judgment? Do you question your worth? Please do not question me ever again."

Tinia walked on stage. Tens of thousands of ponies were gathered on the ground, and unicorns brought clouds so they could stay in the sky. All in all, about 80,000 ponies were gathered from all corners of Desolate.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, your king addresses you!" He screamed. His voice was so loud that even without magic everypony could hear him. He called this his "royal voice".

"Now, my faithful subjects, we have experienced a great era of peace and harmony in this land, and we have you to thank for it." Everypony stomped their hoofs in approval. "We have turned this dying land into a utopia for all ponies to live in and thrive! As your king, I thank you.

"One group of you stands out more than any other for their continued charity and service to the community; the alicorns. They give of their talents freely to anypony that needs assistance, and never ask for anything in return.

"But as king, it is my royal duty to ensure that our civilization not only stays happy, but thrives. And as I see it now, our true potential is wasted."

Everypony in the crowd started to murmur at what Tinia just said. He continued, "I see the potential of alicorns, the power of their magic, but only when it is wasted on tedious and mundane things. An alicorn has the power to move mountains, so why are we helping to dig holes in gardens? Alicorns are the fastest fliers, so why are we the ones delivering mail? Alicorn is supremacy, and I will no longer stand to watch them in servitude!"

Now everypony was screaming. They had no idea what to make of this statement by the king, but they didn't like it.

"SILENCE! Now, in order to help this civilization, we must prevent the Others from abusing the alicorn's power. That is why, from this day forward, the city will be split into two districts. Everypony gather yourselves to your correct side of the line."

Tinia referred to the chalk line he personally drew that morning through the middle of the city. In his decree, he addressed that all alicorns would gather to the east of the line, and anypony else would gather to the west.

The king took his stance and his horn began to glow. In a bright flash of light the road grew out of the ground to form a wall. It started out at one foot, but continued to grow. Alicorns and non-alicorns alike looked toward each other as the wall sealed them off from their friends and family, and all the ponies felt as if a harmonious era was fading quickly.

…

"Wow, this Tinia guy sounds powerful!" Spike said in amazement.

"He was a powerful alicorn, mon, but his powah came from da hate in his heart. Dat is not a good ting, Spike!"

"But why didn' anypony try'n stop him?"

"Applejack, dis was a diffrent time. Ponies who question da king were punished saverely. Tinia appeared to be da majestic pony, but he ruled wit da fear. Nevah da less, his actions didn't cause trouble quite den. Aboud a hundred yeers after raisin' da wall…"

…

Most citizens of Desolate had grown accustom to the wall. When it was first raised, ponies tried to cross it; Tinia's Alicorn Police Force made quick work of any wanderers and stragglers who tried to cross the wall. Tinia continued to pass law after law; His first law allowed alicorns access to the gates in the wall so they can freely roam the city. Soon after, he imposed a tax on the earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns (which he soon named collectively as the "Others") to help the alicorns who had trouble growing crops. As laws continued to be decreed, the Others began to sink into deep poverty while the alicorns lived off the fruits of the Other's labors. Even the alicorns began to change; though uncomfortable with the segregation at first, pride soon overtook their persona as they saw the Others in their poverty. Tinia's propaganda did nothing to help, either. The alicorn king called all alicorns to embrace their heritage, which set them apart from the "inferior races". He also encouraged the Others, reminding them that it was an honor to serve the alicorns with their labors and their taxes, and severely punishing those who could or would not pay taxes.

Tinia's prisons became notorious for their cruel and inhumane forms of torture, which were conducted as public demonstrations to deter any other rebels. Jove remembered seeing a pegasus's wings set on fire until the feathers were completely incinerated so they could never grow back. She saw unicorns have their horn skinned and dipped in vinegar until they lost consciousness. She saw earth ponies with hooves strapped down and drilled into until the hoof shattered like glass. Jove couldn't stand the King's dictatorship. She was determined to end it.

Meanwhile, the king was sitting in his royal court. He, like most alicorns who grew accustom to living off the taxes of the Others, grew very lazy and gluttonous. Greed was now a widespread problem among the alicorns, leading to theft and other crimes that never before plagued their civilization. The king merely compensated for the crimes by raising the taxes. He was currently debating another tax on carrots when another alicorn walked in. He was pale white with a golden mane that shone brighter than any gold jewelry he could have worn—that is, if he liked wearing such trinkets. He walked up to the throne of Tinia and stood there, his deep blue eyes glaring at the king until he noticed.

"Hello there, Cronos! What brings you to my royal courts?"

The white pony kept staring at the king for a moment. "Father, I am greatly distraught."

Tinia's face dropped at his son's last statement. "I thought I told you I never want you to discuss this again. You remember what happened last time you made me mad?"

Cronos shuddered at the memory of the last time his father and him fought, and rubbed the bottom of his eye which was only losing the black underneath it. "I know father, but this is…"

"I thought I told you this was not up for discussion?"

"This is not fair! You can't rule a kingdom like this!"

"Like what? What is so wrong with this kingdom? We live in peace, the ponies are living comfortably, you should count your blessing, you ungrateful blank!"

"No, only the alicorns are living comfortably; the Others are living in growing poverty and slavery!" Cronos tried to pretend that his father's last statement didn't hurt, he didn't like being reminded that he was the only alicorn his age that did not have a cutie mark, at 23 years old.

"The alicorns are the only ones that deserve such a standard of living, and I give the Others plenty of opportunities to live a comfortable life."

"NO! You only let them keep half of their crops and money! Even Jove—"

"Wait; are you STILL socializing with that inferior?"

"She is NOT inferior! She's my friend! Father, you must abandon your illusion that alicorns are in some way superior!"

Cronos felt his tail being yanked by his father, and he quickly found himself face to face with the king. It was a scary sight to behold him when he was angered like this.

"This. Is. Out of the question. NEVER tell me again that alicorns are in any way equals with… _them. _ Next time, I won't be so forgiving. MERCURY!"

The sound of panicky hooves running frantically across the floor preceded the voice of the King's advisor. "Yes sire?"

"Escort my son out of here before I lose my patience."

"As you wish. Cronos, follow me!"

Even though Cronos, who was built as his father, could never be intimidated by the puny figure of Mercury; he knew a lost cause when he saw it. He honestly knew that it was a lost cause every time he brought up the subject with his father. So he followed Mercury out.

"Cronos, I don't understand why you find our lifestyle so bad. I mean, somepony may think that it is unfair in some way that the Others live a little less lavish than us, but we deserve to live this way."

"How? What makes you think we deserve this? All I see is a bunch of lazy, greedy creatures out there who only live off of the work of others. I still remember the stories my mom—" Cronos's mom was one of the only other alcorns that sympathized with his feelings. She told him stories of the old times, when all ponies lived in peace, and there was no division among them. She was the source of his strength…until his father had her killed for her 'rebellious ways'. "—my mom told me… I know it's possible for everyone to live as equals in harmony!"

"You keep telling yourself that Cronos, but you can't change anything until you are king. Hopefully by that time, you will see the wisdom of your father."

Cronos knew that there was no hope fighting here. No alicorn would ever listen to him. Perhaps it was time to visit Jove again.

…

"So, da alicorn Cronos be crossin' da bordah and goin' ta see his girlyfrien' Jovie…"

"Hold on there a sec! I thought'ya said they were just frien's?" asked Applejack.

"No, he was only tellin' his faddah dat! Nah, dey were datin' in da secret for a long time!"

"Dating in secret?" asked Spike, thinking about if there was any way he and Rarity could date without Twilight knowing, so she wouldn't lecture him… but he would need to be dating Rarity first.

"Yah, mon! Soon enuff they would be married! But dat's fa latah! Back to dah story!"

"So, Cronos be crossin' da border ta see Jovie…"

….

Cronos found the cellar door he visited so often to see the only other pony that could bring a smile to his face. He knocked. The door opened a small crack, and a sweet voice came from behind the door. "Did anyone follow you?"

Cronos smiled. "Do you really think I would be that careless?"

The door swung open to reveal a beautiful earth pony, with a dark blue coat and a jet black mane. She jumped out and swung her arms around Cronos, and he reciprocated. "Oh, Cronos! I've missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Jovie!"

He felt a hoof hit him hard in the stomach. "I thought I told you not to call me that!"

"Sorry, can't help it! Besides, what are you going to do about it?" Cronos asked teasingly. It was surprising that since his mom died, he only felt at home here, on the other side of the wall.

Jove's brow furrowed. "Fine… Crony baby!"

Cronos blushed furiously. "You…"

"Come on, let's get inside before the police come!"

The two ponies walked into the dark basement and closed the door behind them. Cronos lit his horn just as Jove lit a lantern on the table. Jove's house was a basic one, with a table and two lanterns, a bed of hay in the corner, and a small trunk that held anything and everything Jove held dear. Cronos constantly offered to bring money or other things for her from the other side, but she refused any money that she didn't earn on her own. That was one of the things that Cronos loved about her.

"So, what brings you to my humble abode?"

"I tried talking to my father again."

"Oh no Cronos, is your wing broken again?"

"In fine, Jove," Cronos reassured his girlfriend, "but I don't think he is going to change any time soon."

"I know. I think it's about time we take this into our own hoofs."

"Jove, I hope you aren't talking about what I think you're talking about…"

"Cronos, it's our only option. You said so yourself; the king won't change. We need to revolt and end his reign."

"I'm sorry, but he is my father, and no matter how evil he is, I can't wish ill on him. I'm sorry Jove, but I hope you understand."

"Unfortunately, I do. Dammit Cronos, why do you have to be so nice?"

"I wouldn't call it 'nice', I just try to be fair."

Jove leaned over and kissed Cronos. "Call it what you want, but it infuriates me!"

"Speaking of infuriating, what is HE doing here?" Another pony walked into the basement. Cronos and Jove took a step apart when they realized they were not alone. "Oh, forget it. I already saw. I can't believe you, Jove; with him?"

"What do you want, Heracle?" Jove asked as the pegasus stepped off the stairs and into the light.

Heracle was one of Jove's "friends", using the term to its loosest meaning possible. He was an orange pegasus with a light blue mane. He was Jove's greatest rallier and fighter in the rebel group, but he always had a knack of assuming that Jove was in love with him, even when he saw Cronos with her.

"I'm just here to report that alicorns SUCK—" as he eyed Cronos, "and that the meeting well be held tonight at six. Hope you can make it, baby!"

"Heracle, Do I need to remind you again that—"

"Ooh, feisty today… save that for the bedroom, sweetie!" Heracle gave her a naughty wink and walked up the stairs. "Oh, and Cronos; maybe if you ever lifted a hoof in your lifetime, you would get a cutie mark!"

"Cronos, calm down!" Jove reminded him as Heracle closed the door.

"Why does he find so much amusement in this?"

"He is a rather twisted pony, I know… but he is one of our greatest allies for our rebel group!"

"No, not 'ours'; yours! I still don't feel comfortable with this just yet."

"And when will you? When your dad's dead? We can't wait that long when ponies here are dying from starvation! Sometimes, you have to forget about loyalties and fight for what's right!"

"So you're saying it's okay to kill my father? I'm sorry Jove, but I can't accept that as readily as you!" Cronos got up.

"And where are you going?"

"I don't know, I just need to think!"

Cronos walked out of the cellar. He didn't want to be around anypony right now, so he headed for the mountains.

…..

"So, where's your forbidden love?" Heracle asked in front of the other ponies.

"He had to go somewhere…"

"Probably missed his second lunch and needed a snack!" The large crowd snickered along with the orange pegasus.

Jove tried to regain the audience's attention; "Listen up everypony, that is not important! What is important is that we need to stop the king and his inequality!" The crowd cheered in agreement. "Now, I know that our previous attempts have been… unsuccessful, but this time, I think that I have a plan that will work!"

…

Cronos reached a plateau in the mountain, and he found himself face to face with a cave he was very familiar with. After his mother died, he felt better whenever he was alone and he had time to himself—nopony around— to ponder in silence. His mother was actually the one who showed him this cave, and who told him that if he listened hard enough, he would hear harmony. He tried to listen as he kept asking himself what to do.

He knew that Jove had a point; the longer his father stayed on the throne, the more ponies would suffer and die, but he couldn't do anything that would hurt his father. No matter what happened, he would love him and would do almost anything for him. The fact that he was evil meant nothing to his feelings for him.

"Mom… if you can hear me… what can I do?"

"Well, there is one thing you can do…"

Cronos jumped up in panic and turned around. He nearly screamed. There was a … thing… standing behind him. It was tall and lanky, and seemed to be a fusion of all types of animals. One arm had the claw of an eagle, the other a lion paw; it had legs of a deer and a chicken. These limbs came together into a long slender body that seemed to work better if the creature was a snake. It's wings—one of a bat, the other of a pegasus— stuck out unnaturally from its back. Only the head looked somewhat like a pony, but with an ox AND a goat horn growing out of it. Cronos nearly gagged at the patchwork of a creature that stood there.

"What… are you?"

"Mmm, glad you asked! I'm a draconequus, but that's not important; what is, dear Cronos, is your current predicament!"

"How do you know my name?"

"I know a LOT about you, more than you think… PRINCE!"

Cronos took a step back, but didn't want to reveal his fear just yet. This thing, whatever it said it was, hadn't killed him…yet. "Why are you here?"

"Me? I just want to help you!"

"Help me?"

"Of course, dear boy! That's my job, after all! Now, you want to join your girlfriend and save the ponies from their oppression, but you don't want to kill your daddy. Am I right?"

'How does he do that?' thought Cronos. "Yes, that's right…"

"Hmm, now this is a tough one…I got it!"

"What? What is it?"

"You don't want to fight daddykins, right?"

"No…?"

"And your girlfriend sure seems like she can handle herself…right?"

Cronos thought about Jove; if he knew one thing about her it was that she was a fighter. "I guess so…"

"So let me ask YOU something; why even go back? Things will take care of themselves, they don't need you! You'll get everything you want, and you won't have to bloody your precious hoofs!"  
>"I… can't do that…"<p>

'Sure you can!" as the creature wrapped his arms around Cronos and stared into his eyes with his yellow, soulless windows. "Just do nothing. Forget everything."

"Do… nothing…" the creature's eyes were so hypnotizing, and Cronos was finally beginning to see the logic of this argument.

"Forget your father… forget your friends… forget Jove…"

"Forget…Jove?" Cronos woke up from his trance. "The pony that has given me hope? The pony I love? Never!"

Suddenly, a flash of light filled the area surrounding them. Cronos barely saw the outline of the thing disappear before he had to close his eyes. When the light faded, Cronos looked. It was his mother! Or rather, an outline of her, like a fog that barely resembled the alicorn that taught him everything he knows.

"Mother?"

The fog turned around. Real or not, the look in her eyes was so real and full of love that Cronos could feel it. "It is you!"

"Yes, it is me. You, Cronos, are the only pony that could ever summon me with your love and power. But I carry a message for you, before I go."

"No mom, don't leave! I feel so lost without you!"

"I know. Your father has done horrible things, and you must feel so alone even with Jove."

"Wait, how do you know about her?" Cronos asked, since his mom died long before he met Jove.

"I'm your mother; it's my job to know these things!" She said with a smile. "You, Cronos, have heard the temptations of the creature known as Discord, and because of the traits that you are born with, you could not fall to them. These… powers… of Loyalty, Courage, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and Magic, are more powerful than any force a pony can create on its own. They are the powers that I am to pass on to their successor—you."

"Me? What am I supposed to do with them?"

His mother started to fade away. "Restore harmony. That's why they're called the Elements of Harmony, after all!"

Another flash of light later, his mom was gone. In her place were six brilliantly shiny jewels. As Cronos wondered what he was to do with these things, the jewels seemed to melt together and make a shroud, almost as if it knew that Cronos hated wearing anything that exemplified his wealth. He put it on.

It seemed as if a voice woke up inside him; a voice as kind as his mother's, yet as confident as his father's; a voice that told him how to solve this conflict, and show him the means to do so. He closed his eyes and used the powers of the Elements of Harmony to teleport back into Desolate.

…

"…and den Cronos took da shroud and telepotated heemself bac inta Desolate, where…" Bastion yawned, "Ju know what, Bastion is getting REEEALLY sleepy, mon! How 'bout we finish da story tomorrow, ja?"

"What? You can't leave it there!" Spike argued. The other ponied nodded in agreement. Applejack added, "Ya'll still haven't told us about how ya know the Princess!"  
>"Ah know pony folk, but iz gettin late. Don' worry, 'til all be wort it in da end!" Bastion stood up and walked deeper into the cave, probably to his bedroom. "Oh, and ju can sleep wherever ja like, okay mon?"<p>

Spike, Applejack, and Fluttershy all found a place on the cave floor and tried to get some sleep.


	9. Chapter 8

Spike laid on the rather uncomfortable dirt floor of the cave for a while now. He figured that everypony went to bed, so he tried not to make any noise. Even though sleep usually came to him easily, today was just too hectic to just ignore. Everything seemed to occupy his mind. His first concern was the purpose of this trip; to meet his parents. But what if he couldn't find them, or worse, what if they weren't what he thought they would be? He had hoped that they would have some compassion, but dragons were creature known for just about everything except their caring demeanor. Especially hearing Bastion's story about being abandoned by his entire family so indifferently…

Bastion's story was also very intriguing, about the history of what happened to the pony civilization before Equestria and the princesses. He and Twilight had read through nearly every library in Canterlot—as well as the one in Ponyville—and there were very few books that recounted any ponies that lived before the time of Equestria. He remembered hearing other scientist ponies and archeologists theorize cave ponies and their nomadic ways (Twilight always liked to drag him along to all these forums and addresses that were excruciatingly boring), but never had anypony thought that there was an ENTIRE CIVILIZATION that existed back then. But that wasn't the thing that scared him most; what happened to the alicorns? If Bastion was true (which Spike had trouble believing), and there was an entire city full if ponies with both wings and horns, where did they go? The only alicorns Spike knew about now were the princesses Celestia and Luna. He had thought that they had just lived forever, that they always have existed and always will, but now this crazy dragon was telling them that they were born, and had a father and mother? He knew that if Twilight was here, she could make sense of everything…

But she wasn't here. She was probably still in the hospital. Why did those Dragon Bloods have to do that to her? Spike felt so alone without her to help and guide him, and now he felt more lost than ever. Even with Applejack and Fluttershy helping him, he still didn't feel better; she had been with him his whole life, and he felt like he needed her now more than ever. He tried not to be angry, but whenever he thought about that pony, that grey pony that tried to get away… he wished Bandana hadn't stopped him. He was sure that a few more seconds pulling that rope would have exacted the revenge that Spike wanted more than anything.

He laid there in the dark, a million thoughts flying through his head faster than he could think up. "My brain hurts."

"Can't sleep either, Spike?" It was Applejack. Even from across the floor, she could hear his whisper. She must be having the same problem that Spike was having.

"Yeah… I got a lot on my mind."

"Me too. What'd ya reckon about this Bastion and his crazy story?"

"I don't know. It's crazy, almost ludicrous, but it seems true in a way."

"Well, I believe Mr. Bastion." Fluttershy must have been awake, too. "I mean, what could he gain from lying to us about this?"

"Ah dunno. This story of his is hard ta believe. Besides, he still hasn't given us an answer about how he met the princess!"

"Well, maybe he's getting to that part real soon. Just be patient Applejack."

"AJ, why do you dislike him so huch? I mean, yeah the story is farfetched, but you seem to kinda hate him," Spike interrogated.

She backed off, "Ah don't hate him… he just seems to be hiding something."

"Do ya know how much I be needin' me sleep, pony folk?" HBastion walked out from the darkness of the cave. He had a night cap on covering his hair, and his eyes were barely opened. "Ju be makin' all da ruckus wit'ja talkin and da conversin'… aren't ju tired?"

Fluttershy looked down apologetically. "Sorry Mr. Bastion… it's just that story you told us is, well, a lot to take in."

"Ah, yes... ju nevah knew aboud any a'tis Desolate stuff…iz a lot to take in at first, ah guess."

"Yeah, sumthin' like that" Applejack muttered.

Bastion sat down on the floor between the three confused travelers. "Well, ju already be wakin' me up, ah guess we bettah be getting' on with da story. Sound okay wit ju, mon?" The three nodded in agreement. "So, Cronos be gettin' de Elements, and be going back into da city…"

…

Cronos found himself in an alleyway near the local fruit market, about 5 minutes from Jove's home. It was nearly night time; he knew that he was running out of time before the rebels made their move. He dashed out of the alley, his shroud flowing behind him in its tattered condition. He went down street after street, combing the city for the crowd his marefriend could be found in. Ponies walking home for the curfew stared at the royal alicorn, surprised that he was on the wrong side of the wall in a tattered cloak; Cronos didn't care. He had to tell Jove what he now knew before it was too late.

He rounded the street that led to her house. Here the thought came to his mind; would she listen? She had been planning this attack for months, it was all she seemed to occupy her mind. Even as he ran through about how he could possibly explain the story of meeting that creature, meeting his mother who was deceased, and inheriting some all-powerful artifacts… she would never buy it. And why would she?

Ever since she came up with this idea, he had been against it, and her stubbornness only led to more and more contention every time the subject came up. He had ignored it for a while, but that only worked for so long. He knew what she would say, that he didn't want her to hurt anypony—which he didn't—but he still had to try… even if it meant her losing trust in him.

He turned a corner and found the group he was looking for. The ponies sneered at him as he forced his way through the crowd up the beautiful earth pony leading them into battle. "Jove! Wait for a second!" She was still too far away to hear.

"And what is it that you need now, your _highness_?" sneered Heracle, who stepped in between Cronos and Jove with a smug expression.

Cronos pushed him aside. "I need to speak to Jove. I have news that can change everything!"

"Take your alicorn flank and get out of here!" Two ponies grabbed Cronos and tried to pull him back. Jove turned around at the commotion and noticed the alicorn prince being dragged back into the crowd.

"Wait! What is going on?"

"Oh, nothing at all sweetheart, just taking out the trash…" Heracle was interrupted by a hoof lodged into his mouth. The force of Jove's kick knocked the pegasus to the ground with a whimper and a spatter of blood.

Jove yelled, "Let him go!" The ponies complied and Cronos made his way to her. He went to embrace her, but she pushed him back. "What? What is it that you need to say?"

"Jove, I'm sorry about storming off like that. But I found out a different way to fix everything. No one has to die."

"Well, that's pretty convenient for you, isn't it? The day we go to confront your father, you just happen to find an answer?"

"Wait… what?"

Jove stared him down hard. "I know you didn't support my decision in this, but I hoped that you would see logic. We need to do this. I hoped that you would at least support me. I guess I was wrong… Lock him up."

The goons returned and once again grabbed Cronos. Even with his strength and magic there were simply too many of them. "Jove, wait! I can explain! Please, just let me tell you what I found!"

"Cronos… I'm sorry. I really am. But we have waited too long and have suffered too much. Please, you know that this is what's right. Your father is evil, and you can't protect him. We don't deserve this."

"And my father doesn't deserve death. He deserves a lot of things, but I won't let you murder my father! It doesn't have to go like this. Please… just one minute. That's all I ask. I'll explain everything. After that, you can do what you want."

Jove bit her lip. She had to lead her troops, and she knew that Cronos would do anything to save his dad. But something told her that he was telling the truth…

"Heracle, take the group to the southern gate. Wait for me there. Cronos, come with me."

The group followed the orange pegasus, and the alicorn followed the rather annoyed pony down the street. It was already dark, and most of the ponies were already asleep. "I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm almost sure you're just trying to stall and get me to stop our attack, even though you KNOW it needs to be done. You know that your father is evil and yet you still protect him, even after everything he's done to us—done to me! All I asked for was your support and you couldn't even give me that! Now give me one good reason why I shouldn't give him what he deserves."

Cronos took a breath. Even as he ran it through his mind, his story was less believable than a bipedal mammal. He explained it anyway; "After I left, I went up into the mountains to think things over. Up there, I met the ghost of my mother—" Jove scoffed, "—my mother, who was the keeper of something called the Elements of Harmony. She passed them on to me, and they showed me a way to fix things without violence."

"So let me get this straight; you met your mom, who had been dead for 20 years… and she gave you some magical something that can fix everything?"

Cronos knew he was losing her. "I know it's hard to believe, but I'm telling you that it's the honest truth!"

"Okay, even IF this story is true, where is this all-powerful Element of Harmony?"

"Elements. And they're here," Cronos said as he untied the shroud on his back and laid it out for Jove to examine.

"This is it? It's just a rag, do you really expect me to believe that THIS will fix everything? I can't believe you would do this Cronos. I thought I could trust you. I guess I was wrong."

"You have to believe me, I beg of you Jove!"

"I can't." Jove went to grab the rag Cronos laid on the ground. She made contact, and froze. Her eyes glossed over and she completely stopped moving.

"Jove? Jove!"

Her trance didn't last long. Once she regained consciousness, her breathing was very heavy. "Okay I believe you." She threw the shroud to Cronos and started running, a look of terror on her face. Cronos followed.

"You saw what we need to do?"

"No, I saw what happens if we keep going with our plan. MOVE!"

….

The crowd waited a block away from the gate, out of sight from Tinia's guards. They had planned to attack the gate during guard shifts, take the next two blocks which would lead them to the palace, and attack the king in his royal chambers. The pegasi of the group would fly overhead to prevent any alicorns from fleeing and telling others about the attack. All of the ponies were armed with staffs and knives and other weapons, enchanted by the unicorns to make them resistant to magic to prevent the alicorns from stopping them. They were ready to move on Heracle's signal.

The shift was getting ready to switch. There was no sign of Jove. 'She must have fallen for Cronos's lies,' the pegasus thought to himself. He would have to take the lead of the attack. The time was now.

"ATTACK!"

Everypony charged the gates, made quick work of the few guards at the post, and charged for the palace.

….

Cronos still didn't know what Jove saw. Whatever it was, it seemed to terrify her. He was still running to catch up with her, she took off so quickly it took all his strength just to keep up. "What did you see?"

"I'll tell you later. For now, we need to stop our attack."

They finally arrived at the south gate… or rather, what was left of the gate. What was left of the metal divider was scattered along the ground along with the limp bodies of alicorn guards that Cronos presumed were guarding the gate during the attack. He walked up to one and checked his pulse.

"He's dead."

"No no no no no! This was supposed to be a non-lethal engagement, only the King! It's already happening…"

"WHAT'S already happening?" Cronos was now beginning to panic as well.

"We need to stop the rest of them NOW!"

They once again took off, this time towards the palace.

…..

Tinia lay asleep in his bed. Sleep came to him uncomfortably as of late, and tonight was no exception. Nothing he did could cure his insomnia, no amount of medicine or magic, even torturing the prisoners did nothing to bring him sleep. He decided to take another walk in the royal courtyards to relax himself. He rolled out of his bed, found his crown, and opened the door.

It was bright outside for a night, the entire city seemed to glow with a deep orange that seemed to rise from the sand. Tinia tried not to worry as he proceeded down the hallway and into the throne room towards the garden. Suddenly he heard it; screaming. Alicorn screams that even curled the king's blood. He woke up immediately; something was terribly wrong. He ran down the remainder of the hallway and threw the door open into the main chamber.

The entire bank district, it seemed, was in flames. He had no idea how he didn't see the enormous wisps of flames licking the sky, but now he could even feel the heat from so far away. What had happened? And where was the Alicorn police who should have taken care of the fire before it grew to such height. "Guards!"

One guard ran up from the bottom of the stairs. His armor was covered in soot, and he was breathing heavily. "What is happening out there? Why hasn't this been contained?"

"Sir…" he panted, "… the Police… they tried… but… the ponies…there's so many…"

"Ponies? What ponies? Are you saying that there are ponies on this side of the wall?" The guard nodded as he continued to fight for his breath. Tinia was shocked. He had dealt with the occasional rebellion since he raised the wall, but never had he faced a full insurrection, especially on this scale. Even now, as he looked out the window, he saw the rioting crowd of ponies charging the outer gates in a frenzy. The guards and police seemed to be doing their best, but it wasn't enough.

"Okay, tell Swiftblade to draw his troops back to the main courtyard. We can defend ourselves better there, there's only one way in."

"Yes sir."

Tinia was once again alone. He stared out on the once peaceful city, and knew nothing wou—

An orange blur crashed through the window and hit Tinia square in the chest, sending him backwards rolling on the floor. When he finally regained his balance and picked himself up, he found the culprit standing merely feet from him; an orange pony with a blade in his mouth.

…..

By the time they caught up with the crowd, they had turned into a crazed mob. Every guard that stood in their way wound up dead. They seemed unstoppable. Jove was even more horrified than she had been before. "It's too late."

"What's too late? Jove, what's going on? What did you see?"

"Heracle… he's gone mad. We have to stop him before it's too late!"

…..

"King Tinia… pleased to meet your acquaintance."

"What is it that you want, pegasus? Tell me or be smitten where you stand!"

"Me? Oh, I just want you to step down from the throne and give yourself to us."

"I hope you have more than that flimsy knife then, if you think you can take me, inferior. It will take more than a prick of a knife to intimidate me!"

Heracle laughed. Even to Tinia, something about him seemed off. "Oh, I think you'll be surprised to see how much a little PRICK can hurt!"

Heracle charged full speed. The king side stepped with ease. The Unicorn swung in a frenzy, so his moves were sluggish and predictable for an alicorn trained in combat. Tinia widened his stance and his horn began to glow. He would take the knife, and it would become the unicorn's own downfall. He closed his eyes… something was wrong. Where was it? He knew it was in the mouth of this assailant, but according to his magic it didn't exist. "What magic is this?"

Heracle took this moment of weakness to tackle the alicorn king as his eyes were closed, and pin him to the ground. He had waited for this moment nearly his entire life. "Your blood shall finally appease our families. The graves will sing with your cries… good bye, alicorn."

Tinia had no idea what to do. Even as the cool blade entered and exited his flesh, he still believed that this was all some elaborate and realistic dream, that he was merely asleep in his room and would soon wake up. The world began moving in slow motion, with each new thrust of the blade bringing a flash or red light to his eyes. He was so tired. His eyes slowly began to close.

….

Cronos and Jove tried to make their way through the crowd. If what Jove had said was true, they needed to take control of this crowd before Heracle did. But how could they? Nothing they screamed seemed to phase the bloodthirsty mob that continued to attack the alicorns leaving them dead in their path.

Suddenly, the worst came to pass. Above them flew Heracle, the head of Cronos's father in his hooves. "Ponies, our king is dead. His blood is spilt on the floorof the palace, and he will never again harm us!" The crowd screamed. "But we cannot stop here. Another alicorn will take his place, and drive us into the same bondage as this demon. We need to erast this scourge from our land, brothers and sisters. The alicorns must pay! Who's with me?"

The crowd screamed once again. Cronos now knew what Jove saw. His father was dead, and now Heracle would lead these bloodthirsty ponies across the city, killing all the alicorns; innocent or guilty. He had lost. He had let his mother down. Nothing was solved. Even his father, the one he despised most, was dead. For some reason, he still mourned his death. He was the only family he had, and now he truly felt alone. He stared at the head of his father and cried.

"Cronos, we have to get out of here!"

"No, we've lost. There's nothing we can do."

"What do you mean? If you stay here, they will kill you!"

"I'm already dead! I'm alone. Save yourself while you can."

Cronos felt her pushing at his flank as hard as she could. "Don't… go… self-righteous on me, you jerk! I still need you! My parents are dead too, remember? You're all that I have left, and I will kill you before you leave me!"

She was stubborn. But he loved that about her. He turned around and swung him arms to embrace her. They stood there for a moment as the city continued to be engulfed in flames, as everypony ran in terror and alicorns were being slaughtered in their homes and on the streets. "Okay, let's go." Cronos concentrated on teleporting both of them outside the city wall, and the two of them disappeared with a crack.

….

"So, dey foun' demselves outside a'de city, an dey start runnin', mon…  
>"You mean they didn't stay to help the others? What happened?" Now everypony was on the edge of their seats, both scared and intrigued at the solemnness that Bastion spoke in as the story continued.<p>

"Ju see, there was notin' dat the ponies could do. If dey stayed Cronos would die."

"So yer sayin' that every alicorn died that night?"

"Ahm sayin dat ah've been all across A'questria, ah've been across de oceans, seen everyting in da world. Ah've nevah seen o heard aboud anodah alicorn out der." Everyone in the cave was silent. Even if it happened thousands of years ago, none of them had ever imagined a homicide on this scale was even possible for ponies to undergo. It seemed inequestrine. Even the most despicable ponies out there weren't capable of killing an entire species, let alone a race of ponies. It was too much to take in.

"Ah know dat dis story is sad. But it has de happy endings, ah'm tellin' de pony folk. How about we eat breakfast? Ah'll go get some!" The tall dragon stood up and opened the front "door". It was already daytime. Everypony else stood up and began to set the table in silence.

…..

Cronos looked at the city of Desolate from the top of the mountain. Even from so far away, the terror of what was happening felt too close; he could feel the heat of the fire that was engulfing the once thriving utopia. He could still hear the cries of alicorns being murdered by a ravenous group of ponies that would not stop until they killed every last one of the. And he could do nothing. Even with the Elements of Harmony at his disposal, he was powerless.

"Cronos, there's nothing we can do. I'm sorry. We have to go."

"I'm the last survivor. No one down there will escape. Tell me I'm wrong."

"We tried our—"

"TELL ME I'M WRONG!"

A tear came to Jove's eye. Cronos never saw her cry before. "It's hard to love the ones you love, I know. And to be the only survivor of… I can't even comprehend that. But I'm here. I remember you once told me that together, we can defy magic. I still believe that. Do you?"

Cronos nodded, and turned his back to the city, and feeling more alone than he had ever felt in his life, walked out of the Valley of Desolate.


End file.
